Meus Amor et Mea Culpa
by chickay
Summary: BEING REWRITTEN: Chapter 3 now up! AU.SenxGen. The arrival of the new girl in town sets up a chain reaction that throws a group of people in a whirlwind of drama, secrets, love, and the unfaltering reality that the past is bound to catch up to you.
1. The Day's Only Half Done

**Rewriting notes: **Hello to readers old and new! I'm Chickay and welcome to my original brain baby. I started MAMC years ago when I was still in high school and, over time, my interest in the story and characters had waned so much that none of it looked or felt remotely like my own. Now that college is going to be a remote memory for me, I wanted to have one more crack at the original love of my life. After a looong while of deliberation, I figured out how I'm going to do it. And so: I'm rewriting MAMC from top to bottom, working my way through the chapters until the end, hopefully feeling my way back to the roots that I planted since Bush was president, and seeing if there's some life still left. The dialogue and plot will remain mostly the same (I'm shaving off unnecessary crap), but the writing will hopefully be an update from my old-old-(three hours later)old-old writing.

Of course, if you liked my ancient writing, I'll be posting the old chapters on my LJ account (accessible on my profile) as I upload the new versions of the chapters.

So: wish me luck. And I hope you fall in love. Or, that you fall in love again, as some of your cases may be.

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**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

The Day's Only Half Done

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Rei was the first to spot her.

She stood on the steps of the New Moon Academy, leaning against one of the panther statues that framed the broad, french doors of the school. She held a brown satchel in one hand, a muffin wrapped in bright pink cellophane in the other, a first-day muffin that her dear friend, Lita, had made for Rei and their other two best friends, Ami and Mina. At the moment, Rei watched on amused as Mina exhibited one of her many social talents, switching back and forth on two different topics between Ami and Lita while chomping down on her own first-day-muffin without choking. Deciding that engaging Mina in a third topic would likely lead to their blond friend asphyxiating, Rei chose to tune out the conversations and glance over the incoming crowd.

As an incoming junior like her friends, there were hordes of new faces intermixed with the familiar ones that she'd come to memorize. Private schools tended to have small classes, and Rei had learned the names of all her grade-mates at New Moon by the end of her sophmore year. As Rei was looking over the crowd, one certain face stood out to her...

She was slim and petite, probably shorter than Rei. Clad in the New Moon Academy uniform, she would've looked in place with the rest of the crowd if it wasn't for discerning qualities. First was what allowed Rei to pinpoint her in the first place, the shimmering, waist-length cascade of white-blond hair that was held back by a headband. Instead of making Rei think she needed to dye it a more age-appropriate color, the light shade gave the girl an exotic, almost mystical aura.

The other feature that struck out to the raven-haired young woman was her eyes. Rei had met others with blue eyes, Ami and Mina included, but hers... They were the brightest shade of blue Rei had ever seen. She'd venture to say that they were brighter than Mina's when she spotted a cute guy. And that's saying _a lot_.

At this point, Rei did something she didn't normally do. She pushed herself off the panther statue that was reared to pounce and sauntered over to the girl. In between passing students, Rei observed her as she approached, noting the tension in her shoulders and how the stranger bit her lip anxiously, clutching onto her bag tightly, looking...

Rei paused. _'Looking scared.'_

The notion struck Rei and she crept up beside the blond.

"Hello." The girl jumped, startled at the newcomer. Rei raised an eyebrow in mild amusement. "Are you alright? You spaced out there for a moment."

"Uh-no!" The girl replied, shaking her head back to reality. She smiled goofily. "Yeah, I'm new here and I'm pretty nervous. Not to mention I totally skipped on breakfast since I woke up late...again."

She laughed at herself nervously and Rei smiled slightly. In actuality, Rei was usually never the one to attempt conversation first, but there was something about her, something that drew Rei in... As if on cue, the girl's stomach began to rumble and she turned into a bright shade of red. Rei chuckled slightly before a thought hit her. She held out her hand, revealing her pink-wrapped muffin.

"Here." She said, handing it to the girl. "My friend Lita made it. I haven't taken a bite of it yet but I know that whatever comes out of her kitchen tastes great."

The girl looked horrified at the idea. "Oh god, no!" She exclaimed. "I can't take this from you!"

Rei waved a dismissive hand. "Take it. My appetite's been down in the dumps lately. It'd be a shame to waste."

She looked hesitatingly between Rei and the cellophane-wrapped muffin before she shrugged and pulled aside the wrapping and took a bite. Her eyes lit up and she gulped down the whole thing.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed. "That was delicious!"

Rei smiled and held out her hand. "The name's Reina Hino. Call me Rei. I can't stand the whole thing."

The other girl giggled, smiling widely and accepted the outstretched hand.

"Serena Tsukino." Rei smiled just as wide.

"You know," She began, taking back her hand, "No offense or whatever, but you don't look as Japanese as your last name sounds."

To her surprise, the girl continued to smile. "None taken." She twirled a silvery blond strand as she responded, "My mother was originally from France, Daddy's the one from Japan."

Rei nodded in acknowledgment as she marveled at the quirks of genetics. As she was about to say something, a new voice interrupted.

"Hey Rei, who's your new buddy?" Rei turned around to greet her three best friends. Mina had been the one to ask the question. She stood in between Lita and Ami, one arm through each of the girls', having dragged them over. She winked at her best friend. "You're not planning on replacing us yet, are you?"

Rei laughed. "You wish." Turning to Serena, she said,

"Serena Tsukino, meet my best friends in the world. That's Amilia Mizuno, Minako Aino, and that's," She paused for dramatic effect and continued in an outrageously European accent, "Litonya Makoto Kino...the second." She added the last part after a good pause.

Serena laughed, surveying the odd-looking group.

Rei, the one that had first approached her, actually looked very severe and cold and very exotic, too, with raven-black hair with natural violet highlights and slightly slanted, wide violet eyes to match. This Minako girl looked the complete opposite of Rei. She was blond and bubbly with sparkling blue eyes and an easy smile. Then there was the small, silent one, Ami, was it? She was very petite, with a light blush on her cheeks contrasting with the bluish tint of her incredibly dark hair. But Litonya was the last person Serena would've guessed to have made that muffin. She was tall, with lean arms and toned legs beneath her standard-issue skirt. She could have looked almost boyish, but the sweet curls in her hair and laugh at her own last name spoke volumes of an inner femininity.

Turning to the others, she bowed her head slightly. "Good to meet you." To Lita, she said, "Your cooking was amazing, Litonya."

Lita rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Thanks for the compliment but please call me Lita. I don't know what possessed my mom to give me that name. Must've been those rain forest bugs." She shook her head. "You know they do some pretty weird things to the brain."

Serena laughed along with the others then looked over all of them. Something flashed in the bright blue eyes before she asked. "You're all Japanese?"

They stopped laughing and looked at each other, smiling, sharing some inside joke.

"Well," Minako began. "We've out a good amount of the blood in us. Ami's half Russian, Lita's part African, my mom's an England-native, and Rei here's got some Hispanic in her."

Serena tilted her head thoughtfully. "Reina." She muttered. She looked up at Rei. "Queen, right?"

Rei smiled, surprised. "Yeah. _Tu hablas espanol_?"

Serena nodded eagerly and the two began to join in on a Spanish conversation that left the others looking back and forth between the two, amused.

"So Serena," Ami spoke up. "Where did you just transfer from?"

"Japan." She automatically responded. "I just moved here with my older brother."

Lita quirked an eyebrow. "Your parents are still in Japan?"

At this, Serena shifted and replied hesitatingly, "Y-Yeah. My parents didn't get much of a say in the matter."

The other girls eyed each other understandably and changed the topic.

"So," Minako started, breaking the slight silence. "What're your classes? We usually have all our subjects on the first day."

Serena pulled out a schedule and began reading off of it.

"Hey!" Lita spoke up. "You've got gym with me and Ami."

"Yay!" Serena exclaimed happily. Then her face dropped. "Oh no! That's my last class of the day!"

The others laughed. Serena definitely wore her heart on her sleeve. And they were starting to like how it looked.

Rei skimmed over the new girl's schedule. "Hmm, hey! You've got Drama during third period with me and Minako. And you've got at least one of us in every class."

Serena smiled. "That sounds good to hear. I arrived here just last month. I haven't had much time to meet other people with the schedule I'm on."

"Well, we'll be glad to show you around." Ami piped up. As if on cue, the bell rang. Minako piped up.

"Hey, you've got chemistry with me and Rei." She nodded her head towards the school. "C'mon. We'll show you the way."

Serena looked positively dismayed. "First period?"

The others laughed and moved on as Rei, Minako ("Call me Mina!" She insisted, opening the door for Serena and Rei), and Serena made their way to Chemistry. Their teacher was a portly man with a balding head and a twisting mustache. From the disapproving glare he gave each student, it was obvious to know what he thought of the new generation. As he passed out the syllabus, Mina turned to Serena. She sat in between her and Rei in the classroom. There was slight twinkle in her eye as she said,

"You know, I bet you've got some hidden talent in you, eh?" When Serena looked at her quizzically, Mina continued. "Rei over there?" She gestured to the brunette who was glaring at the syllabus so much that Serena could've sworn the paper itself seemed to crumple in her presence. Mina grinned. "Let's just say that she's not a people-person exactly. She hardly speaks to anyone, let alone be the first to approach a person." Mina paused. "Come to think of it, you're actually the first one she's made contact with that didn't involve a broom or insults."

Serena quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Well, she seemed pretty nice this morning."

"Oh don't get me wrong," Mina said hurriedly. "Rei's the best. It's just that it takes a while for other people to warm up to her. Me, Lita, and Ami being prime exceptions."

"Ladies?" They both looked up to see Mr. Leland looking at them over his horn-rimmed glasses, obviously not amused. "Something you care to share with the class?"

"You mean besides this adorable new belly-button ring I got over the summer?" Mina suggested cheekily. The class burst out with held-back laughter and even Mr. Leland smiled.

"Maybe some other time, Miss Aino." He replied dryly, a grin on his face. "In the meantime, please follow the examples of your classmates and pay attention to the notes I'm giving you."

"Aye-yiy, sir!" Minako said along with a mock-salute. Serena covered her mouth to hide her grin and caught sight of Rei on the other side of Minako, giggling. She had a feeling that it was going to be a good year. She smiled grimly in spite of herself. Yes, she would make sure of it.

Minako had given her detailed directions to her history class and Serena was glad to see Ami's familiar, friendly face and promptly took a seat by her. The petite girl looked somewhat exhausted. When Serena asked what was wrong, Ami brushed it off, smiling.

"Just a little tense, first day and all." She said. "Makes me a little anxious, that's all."

Serena gave a dismal smile as she said, "You're a smart girl. But a horrible liar."

Ami gave a surprised start at the girl's boldness, looking slightly offended. However, she smiled. "You're very observant, you know?"

Serena smiled widely. "My brother says the same thing. Then he teases me on if only I was just as observant with taking notes as I am in tune with people's emotions."

Ami returned the smile with one of her own. "Your brother, he's in college?"

Serena nodded. "We were on our own for a while until we moved here and I started living with my relatives and Kunthan started staying at the dorms of his college."

As Ami was about to say something, the teacher walked in and began the roll call.

"Mason? Mason?" Mrs. Esther called out, watching for hands to shoot up. "Hannah get off that phone. Masters? Good afternoon Kathy. McDaniels? Mister Gregory put away that CD player at once. Mizuno? Ah, hello there Ami. Miss Caitlin! Do you and Miss Kerri have something you'd like to share? Thought so. Let's see, where was I?" As she skimmed on her list, her eyes widened as she muttered what looked like an 'Oh dear' under her breath. "Uh...Monroe?"

Any noise that was being made in the classroom was immediately silenced and Serena glanced about the room, confused. She was about to ask Ami what was wrong while Mrs. Esther repeated the last name again. However, Serena sweat dropped slightly as she noticed that Ami had turned whiter than she her usual peachy pale complexion.

"A-Ami?"

"...gotta be kidding me." Ami was muttering to herself. "_He's in here too_?"

Serena sweat dropped and nudged Ami until she looked over at Serena. Her eyes glinted with panic until Serena hastily whispered her name again. Sweat dropping, Ami raked a shaky hand through her hair.

"Eh-don't mind me." She said. "Like I said; I'm just a little tense about the first day." She grimaced and Serena heard the girl mutter as Serena backed aside, "It always seems to be the longest."

History went off once more without a hitch though Serena noticed that Ami looked very disconcerted throughout the class. At the end of class, Ami walked Serena to the Drama room on her way to Chemistry. Soon, Mina and Rei entered the Drama classroom and all three girls sat down together, making small talk before their teacher, Ms. Tawny, clearly an ex-hippie, walked in. She had long, stringy blonde hair and hazel eyes hidden behind rose-colored glasses. Her bell-bottom pants swept the floor and the colorful sash wrapped around her waist swished as she bounded into the class in her brightly-colored, oversized T-shirt.

"Oh boy," Rei muttered as Ms. Tawny practically floated to the front of the class in a surreal manner. "It's gonna be a long year."

"Good morning class," she said in a whispery voice so low that the others had to lean in to hear her properly. "As my past students should know, I don't believe in much in discipline so here's how it's going to go. I want you to gather in up in groups of three to five and make a skit for you to perform in this class by next week. It can be on anything you want and you may use props as well as play music if you please. As for the rest of today's class," she waved her bony hands dismissively. "Do what you will."

And so, the three teens spent the rest of the class time chatting up. Serena found out that Mina and Rei both had older brothers. Mina's brother had been in Europe, studying for some time and Rei's owned a local club. Ami had an older sister and Lita was an only child living with her aunt and cousin since her parents were both archaeologists and traveled often.

"Alright!" Mina cheered as they made their way out of the classroom at the sound of the lunch bell that ended third period. "This is so cool. Fun assignment with two buddies!"

Serena smiled as Rei rolled her eyes, smiling. "Didn't we ask you to tone down on the sugar intake like years ago?"

Mina tapped a finger against her chin, looking mockingly thoughtful. "Eighth grade if I recall correctly."

"Can we really trust mental recollection from the girl that can't remember what happened during first period?" Lita sneered jokingly, coming up from behind them. She smiled widely. "Hey guys. What's up?"

Serena returned the smile and launched into a narrative of her first day as the four walked on the outside courtyard of the school. Lita suddenly stopped laughing over something Serena was telling her and frowned grimly. She let out a low growl that caught the attention of the others.

"Lita?" The tall brunette narrowed her eyes to angry emerald slits.

"Bimbo brigade at two o'clock." Lita muttered through clenched teeth. The others turned in the number of degrees Lita had instructed and frowned, too. Serena didn't know what was going on, but what she saw upset her just as well.

Ami was kneeling on the floor, gathering up scattered papers and books that had fallen looking, not embarrassed, but pissed. In front of her was the epicenter of her anger.

A tall, menacing redhead was in front of her, arms crossed with a satisfied smirk gracing her not-so-graceful features. Her posse stood behind her, wearing similar expressions. A growl emitted from Lita's throat as she took a step further in the girl's direction. However, a slim hand stopped her before she could do anything too...drastic.

"Lita," Rei started warningly. "Breathe, okay? The bitch isn't worth it."

Rei didn't look like the type to swear, but her vulgarity seemed to calm Lita down, even if it was to a miniscule degree. Serena observed that she had unclenched her fists and her body seemed to loosen up a bit. Mina looked like she was bracing herself and then sauntered over to the other girls, looking considerably colder.

"-Oh, poor thing." The fiery antagonizer was saying sarcastically. Ami pointedly continued to ignore her and pick up her things. She stood up, dusting herself off. Her normally bright blue eyes glared darkly into the girl's dark violet ones. "You know, you really shouldn't carry so many books, dorkette. You're practically begging for random trippings and falls."

"Fuck off, Sinclair." Mina called out as she intentionally bumped shoulders against the posse, pushing them aside as she walked over to Ami's side.

The redhead looked on at Mina angrily. "Well hello there, Mina-_ko_." She said with obvious false cheeriness, clicking out the last syllable. She looked back and forth from Mina to Ami before snarling nastily,

"Wow. When you fall from the social ladder, you really take a dive, don't you?"

Mina growled lowly and seriously contemplated tackling the redhead to the ground. Mina could take her and if Beryl's cronies decided to jump in they'd have Lita to deal with...

A waft of intoxicating cologne filled the air as a tall blond moved into place, effectively ending Mina's plans to break Beryl's new nose. He gave the redhead a lazy-eyed expression as he stood between her, and Mina and Ami.

"Really, Beryl," He drawled. "Don't you have anything better to do than pick on the lower classes?"

The violet in her eyes lit up almost automatically. "Zachy!" She gushed. Serena thought she was going to lose that muffin Rei had presented her with that morning and the others had similar looks of disgusts on her their faces at Beryl's high-pitch shrilling. "Oh my _gosh_ you're back!"

He watched her group follow her overly-enthusiastic antics and replied, deathly slowly,

"How observant of you."

"Mr. Monroe," A silky voice called out. The students that had gathered around to see a potential fight pulled away, letting through a tall man impeccably dressed in a white suit, obviously a teacher. He had severe blue eyes and dead straight white hair that fell at his elbows. "I didn't expect to see you for quite a while."

The blond brushed back several wavy golden strands that had escaped his loose ponytail and the girls noticed that his back stiffened up in attention considerably. He played off a very cool demeanor and replied, almost too-carelessly,

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cartier. As for my return," He smiled forcibly, making it look like a grimace. "Europe wasn't really as fun as being back home." He shrugged stiffly, "I guess you can say that the abroad life just wasn't for me. And I suppose I should apologize for my tardiness, too."

"Hmm," The man called Mr. Cartier mused and began to make his way towards the tall blond. Serena watched the tension in "Zachy"s body amplify. He then waved dismissively. "No need for apologies, Mr. Monroe. First days are very...hectic. Well, yes, I do suppose that, with your," Here the teacher seemed to chuckle. "_Lively_ attitude, it'd be hard not to be bored of the abroad." The man moved about, semi-circling the student, a sly grin playing on his lips.

"Well, I do hope that this year will prove to be more fun than your shortened trip."

People around them winced at the tone of voice the teacher had used. He sounded...eerily all-knowing. Zachary seemed to feel the exact same way and his frowned deepened. Serena noticed this and leaned over to Lita,

"What's going on?"

"Zachary Monroe," Lita hastily whispered. "He has a tendency to have a little too much fun and he crossed over the line last year with one of his infamous pranks." She frowned slightly. "I would've expected him to be long gone by now."

"And that's Mr. Cartier." Rei put in. "He seems to be the only one that wasn't intimidated by Zachary's attitude. Zachary seemed more scared of him if anything. You, me, and the others have English with him next period."

Serena's eyes unexpectedly lit up. "Really?"

Rei shook her head. "Don't be so happy. He's supposed to be really strict."

Serena laughed. "Uncle Arty? Strict?"

Green and violet eyes widened considerably. "Uncle?"

Their sudden outburst attracted the attention of Mr. Cartier's keen ears. He spun in their direction and a smile lit up his face. He turned back to Zachary, azure eyes narrowed dominantly into the offended green eyes of the younger male.

"Well, hurry along now, Mr. Monroe. And I'll be expecting you in my class first thing next period." He grinned maliciously and said with a tone of finality, "Good day, Mr. Monroe."

Zachary looked like he was about to pee in his pants as the Beryl girl suddenly snaked an arm through his and promptly began chattering her head off, her posse trailing behind them. As Lita, Serena, and Rei moved in to place with their friends, they caught Zachary looking over his shoulder at the group, a strange expression on his face.

"That was strange." Mina murmured, watching him leave.

"Indeed." Mr. Cartier piped in. He turned to Ami. "Miss Mizuno, are you alright?"

The blue-haired girl looked surprise at his sincere concern and nodded rapidly, blushing at the attention. Mr. Cartier nodded approvingly then turned his attention to Serena. He smiled and inclined his head slightly. "Usagi. I hope you're adjusting well to the school?"

Serena blushed slightly at the name but nodded, smiling. "Yes, I am, Uncle. And I'm looking forward to seeing you next period."

He smiled just the same. "As am I. But don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're family."

Serena giggled as he ruffled her hair. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

The man laughed and nodded his goodbyes to the rest of the group and was on his way. Minako and Ami looked at Serena disbelievingly.

"You're Mr. Cartier's niece?" Ami demanded.

Serena blushed, looking very uncomfortable underneath the girls' scrutinizing looks. "Well, yeah. I'm living with him and my aunt while my older brother is staying over at the dorms of his college."

"I _thought_ you looked familiar." Rei murmured, wondering why she didn't realize that Mr. Cartier had that same platinum-shaded hair like Serena's.

"I had no idea he was that old." Mina commented aloud.

"He's not that old." Serena countered laughingly. "In fact, he's relatively young. Can't say what his real age is though, he'd kill me."

"'_Usagi_'." Lita repeated thoughtfully. She looked at Serena. "That's what Mr. Cartier called you back there. Is that some type of nickname?"

There was a short wave of silence as something dark flickered in the girl's eyes before she replied, strangely coolly, "Yeah, you could say something like that."

"Well, c'mon then!" Mina called, breaking the moment as easily as it came. "Let's go eat before we meet up with your uncle again."

"Not to pry or anything," Serena began as they all sat down in a grassy area and they brought their lunches out. "But that confrontation back there looked more personal than the usual random bully rounds."

The girls around her smiled a bit. Mina took a sip of her drink before she said,

"You are observant aren't you?" Serena nodded and Mina continued. "Beryl Sinclair's the school bitch." She put out bluntly. "She's got it in especially for us four since we're the only ones that won't stand to follow the orders of her clique clones." For the first time that Serena had met the bubbly girl, Mina looked angry. "Well, not exactly all of us."

"Puh-lease!" Rei exclaimed, dragging out the word. "It's in the past Mina." She said endearingly. "I thought we told you to forget about that."

Mina gave a small smile. "Sorry. It's just that I get reminded of it every time I see or talk to that bitch.

"I was stupid enough to fall into Beryl's social trap last year," Mina explained to Serena. Her frowned eased into a smile as she glanced at the other three girls. "But I figured out who were my real friends just in time and bailed on the bimbo brigade."

"And ever since then, Beryl's been more heinous to us." Rei concluded. She swung an arm around Mina's shoulder. "But it's worth getting occasionally harassed if it means getting our best girl back."

Mina gave a weak and grateful smile at her friend and Serena leaned back and realized that Lita and Ami were smiling lightly at the blond as well. She smiled and leaned back, basking in the sunlight and the glow of what appeared to be a wonderful group of close friends. It was then that something struck her.

"Monroe." She murmured. The other girls suddenly looked at her.

"What'd you say?" Serena glanced over the other girls.

"Well, it's just that you guys said that the blond guy's name was Zachary." She half explained. "Zachary Monroe, right?"

The other girls nodded and Serena noticed that Ami paled (once again). She continued. "Well, it's just that he was supposed to be in my history class last period."

"Well, you already heard your uncle excuse him for his tardiness," Minako said thoughtfully. "And it wouldn't be the first time he's gotten into trouble. Take it from someone who knows. He and my older brother used to hang together a lot." She let out an unladylike snort. "I love Jaden to death but he can be such an ass-"

"Amen!" Rei abruptly interrupted. Mina smirked and continued,

"But having those two together?" She threw her hands up expressively. "Just give up. Neither are worth spending money to try reforming."

The other girls laughed though, once more, Serena noticed that Ami looked very uncomfortable. Her hunch was confirmed as Rei said,

"Hey, Ames. Don't you have the same history class with Serena?"

Ami grimaced but took a bite out of her sandwich before nodding.

"Hey, Ami," Lita began. "What's wrong? You look depressed."

Ami gave a small smile and shook her head. "I'm fine guys, really. I'm just a little stressed out, that's all."

Lita shrugged. "Don't really see what's there to be stressed about on the first day of classes..."

The rest of the lunchtime, the girls made small talk though Serena was still wondering about Ami's strange reaction to Zachary. What she and the others didn't completely comprehend, however, was that the day was only half-done and fourth period English with Artemis Cartier was going to be...interesting.

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**rewrite posted: Aug 8 2010**

**chickay**: Phew! One down, 22 to go. (**dies**) Oooh boy! Stay tuned readers. We've got a long way to go.**  
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So did you love it? Hate it? Preferred the older version? Well, there's a button for that! **  
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	2. First Days Get Longer

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

First Days Get Longer

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The first thing the five girls saw when they entered Mr. Cartier's fourth period English class was Beryl Sinclair practically sitting on Zachary Monroe's lap. Needless to say, it wasn't the best thing to look at when their lunch was barely being digested.

However, Mr. Cartier walked in just in time as the bell rang and broke up her lap dance before she could start a striptease. Artemis had strutted and stopped right in front of Zachary's desk and coughed roughly, catching the coy redhead's attention. One meaningful and disapproving blue-eyed glance at Beryl, and the redhead quickly moved away from Zachary awkwardly to the seat by Zachary's side.

Turning to all the other students, he said, "Everyone please stand up, I will be giving out your assigned seats." At the dismayed sounds from his students, he only smirked and waved his seating chart in the air menacingly. "Groan and moan if you will. Once you're done, get up and move to your seats."

At the end of his seating plans, Serena found herself sitting right next to Ami, which was nice.

...Except Beryl was situated right behind Ami, which wasn't so nice.

"Well," Mr. Cartier began. "I do hope you all are becoming very comfortable because, unless I feel the need to do so otherwise, these are your permanent seats."

At his last words, he perched on the edge of his desk and, from a good way, he looked relatively young and...well, hot. Serena heard someone nearby hear whisper, "My god, I can't believe he's a teacher. He's so hot."

"I know." A new voice replied. "He's such a hunk. You think maybe he was a model or something?"

Serena nearly retched and tuned out of their conversation. In truth, Artemis Cartier was barely thirty yet. She knew for a fact that he still went out clubbing with her aunt Luna who often acted younger than she was. She sweat dropped at the thought of the last time her uncle and aunt stumbled into the house late on night. Serena and Kunthan were awoken by their aunt and uncle's hysterical laughter and raised questions and eyebrows with the twenty dollar bills that had been wedged between Luna's cleavage and the numerous lip-marks on strange places on Artemis, many of the shades that did not match the shade that Luna had been wearing when she left and had been smeared when she came in. For a respected, well-educated heir and an elegant female Greek artist, the duo could get _buck-wild_ some times. Serena snapped out of her thoughts and focused on the lecture her uncle was giving.

"-And I only expect the best behavior and effort from every single one of you."

A hand shot up in the air. "Yes, Beryl?"

"Well, Mr. Cartier," Serena thought that the air was going to fill up with cavities from the sugary sweet voice she was emitting. "I feel that I won't get my full intake of education _here_."

Artemis Cartier's elegant brow arched as his eyes flicked over to where Beryl was sitting. He had placed Ami in the second row of the class, making Beryl in the third row from the board.

"In that case," He began slowly, "Do you have an idea of where you'd like to sit?"

Beryl tapped her blood-red fingernail against her cheek thoughtfully. "Well, I _am_ far sighted, Mr. Cartier. So maybe I ought to take a seat back there." At her last words, she turned around behind her and flashed a grin at Zachary, who was sitting in the backrow. From Serena's point of view, he looked annoyed at Beryl's antics to get closer to him.

"I see," Mr. Cartier began, very well aware of Beryl's intentions. "In that case let's have someone back there volunteer to move to the front." With that, he cast a very meaningful glance at the back rows. Everyone waited. A lot of people would've wanted to get on his good side but back seats were the best places to fall asleep without getting caught, as Lita was currently demonstrating. Serena tried not to laugh. The moment of serene silence was broken when someone said in a clear voice, "I'll trade seats with her."

All eyes turned to the source of the scuffling of shoes on the tile floor and Beryl looked horrified as Zachary made his way down the aisle. Others shared her view. Several of Beryl's brigade were looking scandalous and even Rei raised an eyebrow (two would just have been asking for too much) in surprise.

"B-But Mr. Cartier," Beryl sputtered protesting. "M-Maybe I could um, well, uh, that is, I could-"

"Please get up and move to the back, _Miss_ Sinclair." Mr. Cartier interrupted her ramblings.

Beryl pouted but got up, looking disgruntled. She and Zachary brushed by each other and she looked at him, inquiringly but he coolly brushed off her imploring look and plopped down into his new seat…behind a very-flustered looking Ami. Mr. Cartier seemed to notice this.

"Miss Mizuno, are you alright?" He asked, striding over by Ami's seat. "You look pale."

To stress his point, he bent over and placed a hand on her forehead. Serena and the others looked on, highly surprised at the subtle physical contact. Ami blushed furiously and Serena's attention was thrown, not towards Ami, but at the blond teenager _behind_ Ami who was now glaring daggers at Artemis, his white knuckles grabbing the edges of his table. She eyed him, surprised. Zachary Monroe looked about ready to kill.

Mr. Cartier finally removed his hand away from Ami's forehead. "Hmm, well, you don't seem to have a high temperature."

Ami hastily shook her head, blushing furiously. "I'm fine, Mr. Cartier. Really."

He nodded slowly and stepped away. "Well, if that is all for today's interruptions," he glanced about the students and smiled genuinely. "Feel free to move about with your classmates as I unfortunately have to deal with something down at the office." He once more raised an eyebrow at the students. "I do trust that you will all be able to behave yourselves properly?"

There were scattered murmurs of agreement and prompting. Artemis smiled. He knew that they wouldn't dare to try anything stupid. He bore his eyes onto the blond sitting on the third row in front of him and felt a good sense of satisfaction swell in him. He had received the reaction he was looking for from the kid. As he called over a few selected students to keep watch in his absence, he kept one eye on Zachary. Obviously, the past summer had definitely taught the boy a good lesson. He had seen to that personally.

Once he was out of the room, Mina and Rei walked over to where Serena and Ami were sitting and Mina perched on Ami's desk as Lita made her way to the front of the class. Other students began moving about and talking to people they knew. Unfortunately, due to the sudden seat-changing, Zachary was now flanked with Beryl and her groupies from behind Serena's new group of friends.

"Zachy!" Beryl demanded sharply. "What was _that_ about?"

Zachary had leaned back on his seat carelessly and pointedly ignoring her. "What was _what_ about, Beryl?" He asked lazily.

Beryl's face turned into the same shade of her vividly colored hair. "You totally blew me off back there." She pouted. "I was trying to sit by you so we could be together."

"Really?" He asked, sarcasm dripping off his voice. "How ingenious of you."

With that, he abruptly stood up and pushed his way from Beryl's girls. Beryl watched him saunter away, her jaw wide open as he made his way to the wide windows on one side of the classroom.

"Oh my _gosh_!" One of her girls spoke up. "What's up with _him_?"

"I know Beryl," Another one said. "Like, why would he want to sit here with _that_?"

There was a selective giggling as the girl used her nose to point over in Ami's direction.

Lita growled lowly. "Something for you?" She snarled, smiling, cracking her knuckles loudly for emphasis. They all fell back as if struck and soon moved away from their group.

"God," Lita muttered as she watched them with the corner of her eye. "They make possible suspension _very_ tempting!"

"Amen." Rei quirked before shifting. "But, they did have a point."

All the others turned to her inquiringly. She continued. "Well, that _was _stranger? I mean, you and him aren't exactly buddy-buddy." Rei had referred the last part to Ami, who gave an oddly high-pitched laugh and waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't ask me. Your guess would probably be as good as mine." She smiled, trying to push off the subject. "Anyway, let's please move on to happier subjects?"

And move on they did. After more gossip concerning families, bunnies and gators, and Mr. Tarnill's summer change to _Ms_. Tarnill, Mr. Cartier came in just in time to hand out a small assignment before the bell rang.

Lita armed with Serena and winked at her. "C'mon. You and me have Algebra together."

"And apparently so does Beryl." Seren murmured as she watched Beryl enter their classroom from behind them. Suddenly, Beryl noticed someone outside the class and ran out. After Lita and Serena had taken their seats, she had attached herself to some random guy in the hallway. However, from the jealous and angry looks being cast in the duo's direction, Serena guessed that he was probably someone important.

"Dion Crystaal." Serena spun about to see that Lita had followed her gaze to Beryl flirting with the guy by the classroom door. He was tall with stark white hair with a slight purplish tint to it. His eyes were a light purple color too. This 'Dion' guy would've looked a lot like her brother, Kunthan, if he had the trademark Cartier blue lineage eyes. He had strong, aristocratic features but there was something about him... Lita continued. "He's not really a one-girl guy. I'd strongly advise you to stay away from him." Her bright green eyes dimmed somberly. "Trust me on this, Serena. You don't want to deal with him or his brother."

"'Brother'?" Serena turned around just in time to see another boy, a bit younger than Dion step up to the white-haired teen. He had dark hair with blue tints that seemed identical to Ami's and dark blue eyes.

"Dion's a senior and Seto is in our grade." Lita explained. "He's really smart, Seto I mean. He takes a bunch of advanced classes and I'm guessing that he has a couple of classes with Ami, too. His reputation isn't as bad as Dion's but it's up there."

Serena nodded, listening. She had been looking at the trio outside the door. Seto had a rather boyish charm to him with soft features to accentuate his dark eyes. Beryl's own eyes had lit up at the sight of the other Crystaal brother and she had been animatedly talking nonstop since the past three minutes.

"I knew a girl like her." Serena mused suddenly. "Beryl, I mean. She was a somewhat nice girl, slightly like Rei. She could be bitchy, but when it really came down to it, she was incredibly supportive."

Lita laughed. "That doesn't sound anything like Beryl."

Serena laughed right along with her. "Nah, she was a good person. I knew her for quite a while. It's just that she flirted non-stop with all the cute guys. That is, until she met Alan."

"What happened?" Lita questioned. Serena turned to her, smiling widely.

"They got engaged at the ages of sixteen and seventeen and they're planning to get married once Ann graduates from college since Alan's decided to suck up to his responsibilities as the heir to his father's company."

Lita laughed incredulously. "No way!"

Serena smiled. "Way." Her bright eyes then took on a faraway, glazed look. "I'm sure they'll be very happy together."

Lita frowned. "You don't plan on going back to their wedding? I thought you said you knew her for a long time."

Serena shook her head, smiling sadly. "I did. But…nah. I know it'll all work out. They have something very special."

Lita smiled and it was then that she felt someone watching her. She turned her head slightly and froze. Dion Crystaal was looking at her direction, but not _at_ her.

His piercing glance was focused on the petite blond situated beside the tall brunette. Serena followed her friend's sudden anxious glance and found herself staring into alluring, pale violet eyes. From her angle and point of view, they seemed like a light blue shade.

It was then that an unbidden memory crept into her brain.

_ "Wow!" She exclaimed sarcastically. "And here I thought you couldn't be more of a jerk. Once again, you've proven me wrong! Good-bye!"  
As she made her way to pass by him, he caught her arm and forcibly forced her to face him. His dark blue eyes invaded her bright azure ones. For a moment, nothing mattered._

Her eyes hardened and she glared at his direction before pointedly turning her back to him and speaking to Lita. The brunette had seen the hard look she had thrown at Dion but pushed it to the back of her mind, making a mental note to bring it up with the girl later on. As Lita carried on her conversation with Serena, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Dion was still looking over at Serena and Beryl had, unfortunately, followed his gaze and now seemed to be ready to burn a hole through the blond's skull. Lita opened her mouth to say something about it to Serena when Mrs. Kobell stood up and called for Beryl to come in and start class.

Under Mrs. Kobell's watchful eye, it was impossible for the two to talk to each other so the entire period was spent listening to the woman's lectures and taking down notes. At the final bell that signaled the students to switch to their sixth and final class, she and Lita sent each other apologetic glances at not being able to talk much and Lita began leading them to the gym room as they both had the same class. Unbeknowest to them, however, was the pair of intense black-violet eyes that was glaring at the duo, particularly on the smiling and curious blonde that had taken the abrupt attention of Dion Crystaal...

Serena found that the gym was the one place she wouldn't have much trouble to find the gym as it was the largest room other than perhaps the auditorium and the cafeteria. On their way there, they bumped into Rei and Ami, both of whom just had gym. Rei was on her way to History and Ami was going to the library since she was an aide there. Once more, Ami looked tired. As Serena and Lita walked into the gym room, Serena turned to the taller girl and asked,

"Lita, is it just me or does Ami look sick?" Lita glanced at her and dropped her bag by one of the benches in the gym and sat down, looking thoughtful.

"Hmm, well Ami's naturally pale." She said, mostly to herself. "Your uncle was probably right. She might be getting a bug or something."

"Eww! Bugs." Both girls looked up to see Mina making her way to the two, smiling.

"Hey Mina." Both called out as she dropped her bag by the two and shared the bench with them.

"So what're you guys talking about?" She asked.

"Hey, Meens," Lita began. "You think something's wrong with Ami?"

Mina frowned at the question. She chewed on her lip for a second or two then her expression faded into one of understanding concern. "Maybe. I can't really say. Ames always looks that pale." She said slowly. "But I'm sure that it isn't a bug."

The blond said it with so much determination that the other two were surprised.

"How can you be so sure?" Serena asked. Mina gave off a smile and shrugged.

"Don't know." She replied. Her face then split to a wide, goofy grin. "I _am_ the Goddess of Love, you know."

Lita and Serena laughed, sweatdropping all the while at the absurdly random declaration.

"Alright people!" A booming voice called out and a tall man with a potbelly rounded into the gym, followed by a woman, his deep voice bouncing off the huge room. "Let's get this over with. First days aren't exactly my favorite days either, so let's all suck it up for one more hour and you're home free till…well..tomorrow."

This was Mr. Tudgeman, the boys P.E. teacher. The brunette that was barely five foot beside him was Ms. Cadetzski, the teacher for the girls.

"Alright, let's split up, boys come with me and ladies, please go by Ms. Cadetzski."

P.E. was more or less highly uneventful since they still needed to get their uniforms for the class and there wasn't much else to do. So the girls turned around to talk to the other people there and Serena was relieved to make such nice friends on her first day. She had been nervous about the event for quite a while but was glad that it wasn't as heinous. When the bell rang to let go of the students, Serena gratefully followed Minako and Lita out to the front of the school, where Rei and Ami were waiting. For a while, the five stood there, talking together amidst the leaving students.

"Hey, Serena," Lita suddenly piped up. "Care to join us for some milkshakes and burgers?"

The girls were blinded by the shine that lit up the girl's features. "M-M-Milkshakes?" She questioned again hopefully.

"Yup," Minako laughed. "We know a great place a couple of blocks away from the school. They've even got an arcade. Plus, we know the girl who runs the place."

Serena nodded enthusiastically. "But I have to let my brother know first." With that, she pulled out a pink cell phone and dialed a number. After a few minutes, a gruff voice answered.

"'Ello?"

"Kunthan?" Her brother flipped over on the bed he was lying on.

"Usagi?" She smiled at the name.

"Yup. How're you doing?" She heard her brother grunt as he sat up and answered.

"Good, good. I just came back in after my classes. Speaking of which, how was your first day of school? Ready to transfer?" He asked teasingly. She laughed.

"Nope. It was actually very good." She replied. "In fact, I made a couple of new friends already."

"Really?" Her brother sounded genuinely interested.

"Yeah. And they invited me to hang out with them at an arcade a couple of blocks away."

"'Arcade'?" Kunthan repeated, surprised. He chuckled lightly. "You can't stay away from those places can you?" She laughed.

"Nope! So, can I go?"

"Sure." Kunthan replied. "Just let Uncle know before you head out."

"Okay, bye!"

"Love you." He said.

"Love you more." She replied automatically to the call and put her phone off. She turned around and glanced about, spotting her uncle nearby, ready to give her a lift home. Turning to her new friends, she said, "Hold on for a second guys. I have to tell my uncle first."

They nodded and she took off. "Uncle Arty!"

The said man turned to the source of the voice and smiled, embracing his niece. "Ready to go, Usagi?"

Serena shook her head. "Actually, some friends invited me to go out with them now."

He raised an eyebrow. "Those same girls that you were hanging out with during lunch today, right?"

She nodded. "Yes. Mina, Ami, Rei, and Lita." She recited their names.

Artemis nodded. "Very well. I happen to know the arcade they're talking about. It's very close to the house but if you need a ride-"

"-I have my cellphone and I'll give you a call." She finished. He smiled, ruffled her hair and told her to go on ahead.

"See you back at the house."

"Okay. Bye!" She waved to her uncle and walked over to the girls. "Ready!"

The girls turned to her, all wearing smiles that copied the infectious ones that Serena gave out. She saw that they had all loosened up their ties and undone the first few buttons on their school shirts, a sign that they were all uncomfortable under the heat. She followed suit and all five began walking.

"So," Serena began after they had been walking for a while. "Who's this friend of yours? The one that runs the arcade."

"Actually, her dad manages the whole place," Minako explained. "Lizzie works there most of the time when she isn't taking her classes at the college."

Serena's deep azure eyes glazed over momentarily. "Hmm, Lizzie." She murmured.

"Yeah, she's really sweet and she's Japanese, too." Ami added. "Her parents got divorced years ago and she has a brother living in Japan."

"Hey, Serena." Lita piped up. "Maybe you might've known him."

Serena laughed. "Probably." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "You guys seem to know a lot of Japanese people around here."

Rei nodded. "It's a natural thing. Not to mention that a good part of California is of the Asian breeding. Here we are."

They had stopped right outside of the place where there was a big sign saying "Crown Arcade". Rei turned to Serena to say something but was stopped short from saying it at the look on Serena's face. The girl had a look of horrified surprise pasted on her face and something dark glinted in the back of her eyes. Ami seemed to notice this too.

"Serena?" She questioned softly. Serena gave off a startled jump when Ami touched her shoulder. Ami got a firm grip on the other girls shoulder and frowned. "Serena, are you okay?"

Serena looked at her blankly, as if through her. She suddenly shook her head, clearing her head. "Uh, sorry, guys." She said, forcing a smile. "I just got a little sense of déjà vu back there."

"Well, then," Mina piped up, not noticing the change in the new girl's demeanor. "C'mon!"

With much flourish she stepped through the sliding doors with the other girls behind her. They grabbed a corner table and sat around together.

"Yo, Lizzie!" Mina waved. A girl that had dyed red hair with the roots of her hair showing her natural black hair color came up to them, smiling.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Lizzie asked cheerily. Rei shrugged.

"Not much really." Rei said, making a grimace. "First day of school though."

Lizzie laughed. "Bummer for you guys." It was then that she eyed and singled out Serena. "Who's your new friend?"

"Meet Serena Tsukino," Minako said, introducing the two. "Serena, this is our friend, Lizzie Furuhata."

Serena gasped softly, mid-handshake. "Motoki."

Unfortunately for her, Lizzie heard her and she looked at Serena, delightfully surprised. "Motoki? You know my brother?"

Serena frowned, aware of all eyes on her. She fought a quick mental battle with herself and decided to let out a little bit of the truth. "Well, I often went to the arcade in the Juuban district." She smiled uncomfortably. "I talked with him a lot since I went there almost every day after school."

Lizzie gave an excited squeal. "Wow! This is so cool."

Serena nodded slightly. "I suppose it is. But I thought his sister's name was Unazuki."

Lizzie nodded. "Yeah, it is. But I figured it would be a bitch for my friends to pronounce so I just stuck with my middle name, Elizabeth."

"Yeah, like you, right Serena?" Ami questioned. "I mean, Usagi is your middle name or something, right?"

Serena suddenly paled at the named her uncle had used to refer to her and swallowed before and saying half-heartedly, "Yeah, sort of." She then smiled widely and turned to the waitress who now had a very calculating look on her face. "So! What about those burgers and milkshakes?"

Lizzie broke her thinking reverie and then laughed. "Well, for the new girl on the block, first burger and milkshake is free." She glanced about at the other girls. "You guys are paying up full price."

The others laughed and Minako pouted prettily. "I thought you liked us, Liz."

She laughed back. "I do. But I'd like the cash you guys owe me that's been building up on your tabs even more."

The others joined in the laughter.

About three servings of fries, two Sailor V games, one new high score, and three racing games later, the girls decided to call it a day.

"So Serena, where do you live?" Ami asked as they all left the arcade. Serena waved her hand dismissively.

"No need, guys." She said. "My ride's here."

She gestured to a sleek black motorcycle positioned outside the building. On it was a tall man with broad shoulders and straight platinum blond hair and the same bright blue eyes as Serena. He was dressed in baggy blue pants and a grey sweatshirt underneath his leather jacket. He smiled.

"Hey there kid." Serena smiled back and ran up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hey!" She stepped away from him momentarily. "I didn't call for a ride."

Her brother shrugged. "No need to. It's about supper time so I was heading over there and I just stopped by here to see if you were still here."

Serena smiled and nodded. Turning to the others, she said, "Girls, meet my older brother, Kunthan. Kunthan, this is Rei, Ami, Lita, and Mina."

The girls all said their hellos though when Serena turned to Mina, the girl was frowning. When Serena looked at her inquiringly, Mina smiled forcibly.

"Nice to meet you." She suddenly glanced at her watch. "Hey, sorry guys, but I have to go. I should be getting home right now. Bye!"

"Uh-Bye!" Serena managed to stutter as Mina practically broke off into a sprint. "What was that about?"

Lita and the others shrugged, though Serena caught them trading knowing looks amongst each other. "Dunno. Hey, we'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." She replied. "Bye!"

With that, she hopped behind her brother as he handed her a helmet and his leather jacket for protection.

"Good day, ladies." He called and pulled away.

"Have a good day?" He questioned over the roar of his motorcycle. She smiled widely.

"Totally!" Was her loud reply.

As Ami, Rei, and Lita made their way home, and Mina took off in another direction, a pair of curious brown eyes followed the platinum-haired, blue-eyed duo.

"Usagi…" Lizzie murmured before her father called her and she turned away. "I could've sworn I've seen her before..."

* * *

**rewrite posted: Aug 8 2010**

**chickay**: Making that headway as much as my procrastinating, slight ADD-ish self can and hoping you don't all hurl rotten tomatoes at me in the process. Expect the rewrite for Chapter 3 soon (and I don't mean in 2 years, promise!). So, read ahead, don't read ahead, whatever you choose, please enjoy!

Remember: The old chapters will be moved to my LJ account as they are replaced. So read at your own risk! (Not really)

Oh, and: pretty please review! (if you didn't already do it years ago when this chapter was originally posted haha).


	3. Rose

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa:** My Love and My Mistake

Rose

* * *

Luna Soleil Cartier was a beautiful woman.

Even more, she had _talent_, a combination that _should_ have made her exceptionally more conceited than she actually was. Magazines and critics alike had hailed her as a formidable artist, a vanguard of modern art, whose sculptures and paintings continued to surprise and inspire with every showing she conducted.

Standing almost as tall as her husband Artemis Cartier at an inch ("_Half_ an inch thank you very much," She'd insist) below six feet, her dark hair fell in luscious curls, framing her heart-shaped face and her distinctively colored crimson eyes. She had a great figure and legs that went on for days. Proudly (and truthfully) proclaiming her age as under 40, she could pass for a supermodel.

But right now, she turned from the stove in her kitchen where a set of eggs and bacon were sizzling in a pan before calling for a certain 17-year-old teenager living under her roof,

"**SERENITY TSUKINO GET YOUR CUTE ASS DOWN HERE BEFORE I GET OUT THE WATER GUN AGAIN!"**

A loud _thump_ resonated from above as a body rolled off a bed and she smirked, satisfied. She turned back to the stove, humming a happy jingle while hearing her niece running about and raving foreign curses in her room upstairs. Luna sighed serenely,

"Ah," The toaster pinged happily as she heard Serena trip over the shoes that Luna _had_ told her to put away last night. "The joys of guardianship."

She had just finish pouring the orange juice into a tall glass when Serena stumbled into the kitchen, fully dressed in her uniform, landing on her face.

Luna smiled widely. "Good morning!" She sang to the face-down teenager. The blonde lifted her face to her sickeningly happy aunt and Luna had to marvel at the family resemblance between her husband and this girl before her.

"You're evil," Serena hissed standing up, rubbing her nose. "You know that, don't you?"

Her aunt smiled, placing a kiss on the girl's cheek.

"Come now, darling," She said flippantly. "I'm not evil. Now your uncle singing in the shower, _that's_ evil."

Serena giggled and sat down at the table and gobbled down her aunt's cooking like she hadn't eaten a gigantic meal the night before. Luna herself sat down at the table as well and began reading the newspaper. Suddenly, Serena's face twisted to one of disbelief and revulsion. Luna twisted her mouth at her expression.

"Oh come on." Luna insisted, closing Garfield's antics of the day. "My cooking's not _that_ bad."

"It's not the cooking I'm gagging about." Serena replied pointing at Luna's collar. Just above the cotton top, rested a violent-looking mark along Luna's neck when Artemis had err…_kissed_ his wife good-bye. Luna smirked.

"Well, it's better than the shower incident isn't it?" Serena threw up her hands expressively and glared at her laughing aunt through a mouthful of toast, the message clear,

'_Yes, it might've been better but you didn't have to bring it up!'_

"I'm kidding, honey." Luna said. Still laughing, she watched her niece finish up her orange juice. "You remember that Artemis had to go to an early faculty meeting today, right?"

Serena nodded, swallowing the fantastically crispy bacon and glanced at the clock. "I guess I'd better start heading there now."

Luna nodded. "You mentioned last night that you were going somewhere today after school?"

"Yup." Serena wiped her mouth and slipped into her shoes. "I'm going over to Minako's with Rei to work on a project."

"How long do you think it will take?"

Serena shrugged, picking up her satchel while her aunt leaned against the wall by the door. "Maybe an hour or two." She replied. "Rei's brother will bring me back to the house."

Luna nodded as Serena stood up and faced her. The older woman looked at the girl for a while, a strange but familiar expression that made Serena feel guilty. She smiled weakly.

"I'll be okay, Auntie Elle." Serena insisted reassuringly. She held out her pinkie to the older woman. "Promise."

"How immature," Luna scoffed with a laugh, linking pinkies with her nonetheless. Serena grinned and Luna leaned over, embracing her tightly.

When she pulled away, the guilt hovered again as Serena realized the smile on Luna's face didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Just be careful," She whispered almost pleadingly. "Okay?"

Serena smiled and gave her aunt a peck on the cheek good-bye before heading out without a word.

Luna watched as the white-blond waves disappeared beyond the front door. For a while, she stayed where she was, her eyes watching the door. Finally, she turned, heading to her studio at the back of the house. Casting one last glance at the solid door, she looked upwards.

"I don't know if someone can hear me up there." She sighed, mostly to herself and bowed her head, clasping her hands, murmuring, "But…She's been through hell and back. Please give her a break already…"

Luna suddenly had to laugh at the desperate tone of her voice. "I'm getting soft," She muttered before continuing her path to her studio…

The frog blinked at Zachary.

He, in turn, glared at the little amphibian on the sidewalk like it was Mr. Hopper's fault he was in a bad mood. Well, Mr. Hopper _did not_ appreciate this, and promptly hopped away, its slimy nose in the air.

Zach 'tsk'ed, somewhat annoyed that he didn't have anyone/thing to focus his bad mojo at. Adjusting his uniform tie uncomfortably, he continued trudging his way to school. Ah, good 'ol New Moon, the center of the soap opera of his life. Why did he choose to come back again? Oh yeah…

_He ignored the feeling of Beryl Sinclair's eyes on his back at sat down at his new seat. The annoying girl swore they were dating and his blatant attempts to correct her went completely over her socially-climbing head. He forgot her though, when Mr. Cartier lean over and place a hand on Ami Mizuno's forehead. _

"_Miss Mizuno, are you alright? You look pale."_

_Almost as pale as Zachary's clenched knuckles were on the edges of his desk behind the resident genius…_

Zachary felt a tick on his cheek. He had a feeling that not even having the X-Men comics on the reading list could help him enjoy English with Artemis Cartier this year. He growled thinking of the man. The very infuriating, all-knowing man…

_And yet_, Zachary thought grudgingly, _he's the only reason I'm even here._

As he thought of the white-haired man, his thoughts drifted over to this summer. His very blue summer, that of his bright cerulean pool to the clear sky and a certain crystal clear lake. Unbidden, the blues in his mind's eye warped into the hazy figment of a certain blue-haired nymph who-

A gruff voice broke his chain of thought and Zach glared irritatingly at the source of the rude interruption. Up ahead, where he would turn towards New Moon, gathered three, menacing-looking guys, all of whom Zachary had had the…_pleasure_ of knowing. Mace had long greasy hair, Talon had jeans that hadn't clearly hadn't been washed into two week, Frankie had a permanent case of halitosis and douche-ness, and all three were dropouts who Zachary and Jaden had a few run-ins with a while back, and none of them happened to be pleasant.

His brow furrowed once he realized they were surrounding a dainty-looking blonde. He stared and blinked in disbelief. No, wait… That wasn't _just_ a blonde. That was Artemis' niece. What was her name again? It started with an "S"…

And while he was going through the vowels in his head in an effort to remember her name, Zach watched the girl (seriously, she _had_ to be under five feet) slam her elbow into Mace's face behind her and use the momentum from pushing the idiot down to swing a kick at Talon's face.

…Zachary decided then and there that all the Cartiers must have a genetically-ingrained chromosome for looking pretty while kicking ass.

While he admired the fallen thugs at her standard-issued penny-loafers, Zach saw Frankie suddenly lumber forward and quickly jogged to stop him before he mauled the little girl…But then he saw Serena (yes! He remembered her name during rollcall) swing her bag into the idiot's face and decided to take his time. Either she was packing bricks on the way to school or had one hell of an arm because Frankie's nose all but exploded in blood when her bag smacked his face.

Serena landed a final punch into Frankie's pouchy belly and as the oaf let out a grunt and fell to his knees, Zach realized that she'd literally taken down three huge (figurative and literal) assholes in the time it took him to move 8 yards.

And obviously, Talon hadn't had enough and was slowly getting up and stumbling in her direction as Frankie dropped to the ground. Zachary moved quickly (he'd be damned if he wasn't getting a piece of these idiots while he was in such a bad mood), sprinting over to where the hoodlum was and roughly pinned him to the fence wall on the sidewalk. Cartier's niece spun around at the noise, dropping to what he recognized as a defense position, holding out her bag and ready for action.

Zach merely inclined his head at her, twisting Talon's shirt in his hands in the process and chirped,

"Mornin'."

Beside her, Mace grunted and started to pull himself up. Serena's bag seemed to swing into action by itself and the greasy hair went down again.

Her defensive hands lowered and she nodded back at Zach, "Hey."

"And good frickin' morning to you too Talon," Zach sang/snarled.

The thug looked like he'd just pissed in his pants. "Z-Zach?"

"Hey Blondie I think you knocked him around a little too much," Zach called over his shoulder, earning the beginnings of a smile on Serena's face. He swung his head back around to glare at Talon once more, "Apparently, my old buddy here can't even recognize my smiling face."

"Y-You're back!"

"No shit." Zach quipped, grabbing Talon suddenly and slamming him face-first into the fence. "Now, buddy, I'm pretty sure the last time we saw each other, Jaden broke your nose so I'm really, really," He tightened his grip on the man's collar. "Curious as to why the hell you think it's safe to come around here again."

Beside his feet, Frankie had begun to stir, but Serena's magical bag of innate heaviness swung down once again and practically skipped over his limp form to Zach's side.

"So here's what's gonna happen," Zach said slowly. "You're going to wait here, until Talon and Mace wake up from this little girl's," He gestured to Serena who waved with her fingers at him, "Bag-induced short-term comas, and then you're all going to hobble back into the hole you crawled out of. And if I even so much as catch a whiff of any of your respective B.O.s in the neighborhood, I will personally hunt you down and remind you of how bones sound when they break."

He patted Talon's back with excessive enthusiasm and gave a Cheshire grin, "Great talking with you Talon. Now goodnight."

Talon tried to protest, but Zach had already slammed Talon's head onto the concrete fence and watched his body slump to the ground. For a while, neither of the two conscious people said anything, simply studying Talon's unconscious, drooling form.

"You know," Serena began, breaking the silence, "I don't think we've been formally introduced." She tucked her coma-inducing bag over one shoulder and held out a hand that looked too petite and intact to knock a man unconscious. "I'm Serena."

It was such an awkward conversation to have before 8:30 am after watching her knock out the neighborhood assholes with nothing more than her school bag and some fantastically-aimed attacks that Zach had to laugh, grasping her dainty out-stretched hand.

"Good morning to you, too." He replied and watched as a smile spread on her face. "My name's Zachary Monroe. You're Mr. Cartier's niece, right?"

The girl before him nodded. "Yup. Serena Tsukino, your regular damsel in distress."

Zachary laughed once more. He _really_ couldn't help it; she'd knocked the shit out of three guys and now referred to herself as a 'damsel in distress'? Oh yeah, this was a beautiful way to start the day.

"In that case, _mademoisell_e," He bowed exaggeratingly low in a fake French accent. "Allow me to rescue you from the contaminated air of all this filth."

With that, he turned his nose upwards in a snobbish fashion and helped her to skip over Talon's fallen body, still holding onto her hand. She laughed with him and the two went on their way to the school.

"You could've gone around the other way you know that, right?" He said after they had been walking for a while. Serena shrugged.

"They were in my way and this is the shortest route to school." She reasoned and then waved her bag as evidence, "Plus, it's not like I couldn't take care of them"

"I won't argue with you there." Zachary said with an impish smile. "Where'd you learn all that?"

It was barely a moment, a flicker of a flicker, but Zach could've sworn that a dark shadow passed over Serena's face. Before he could apologize for whatever man-thing he did wrong, Serena had a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and replied, "An old friend of mine taught it to me about a year ago. Back when I was in Japan…"

"Hey Serena!" Both turned in time to see Minako coming up to Serena, neither of them realizing that they'd manage to come across the school so quickly. The blonde slowed however, when she recognized Serena's companion.

From the way Serena stiffened and shot him a wary look, Zach got the hint and gave her a sympathetic smile, "See you around Bombshell."

Serena coughed a laugh, barely swatting Zach's arm as he walked off, smiling still when she turned and found that Mina was still staring in shock. Serena sweat dropped. "Ehehe, good morning?"

And so, Serena spent her first ten minutes on the second day of school explaining her tardiness and the fight and how Zachary had saved her from a black eye and probably worse. However, she conveniently left out the part in which _she_ was the one who did the ass-whooping before he came in to the scene. _'It's not really lying,'_ She reasoned with herself, _'Just a little tweaking…'_

Just as she had finished explaining, Rei entered the Chemistry room when the last bell rang. When the two looked at Rei inquiringly, she shook her head and mouthed 'Later'.

"Are you alright?" Mina asked when their Chemistry class finally let out. "You look _exhausted_."

"Maybe Ami really _is_ sick." Serena murmured. "And Rei must've caught it."

Rei waved her hand dismissively at the thought. "No, I'm not sick." She said as Minako and Serena plopped down by her. "Tired and feeling like crap, yes. But not sick."

Minako smiled sympathetically. "Care to share?"

"God." She muttered. "Dad was being such an ass yesterday. Someone tipped him off that I'm not signing up for the 'right clubs and societies.' I mean,_** seriously**_," Rei dropped her bag on her desk emphatically and Mina and Serena each took a half-step back. "Who the hell thinks about joining sororities when they're not even in college anyway? _Then_ he starts talking about some political get-together where everyone smiles superficially and acts like they care about whatever new charity-of-the week they're funding."

"That sounds like one of my runway shows." Minako said laughingly. "I do part-time modeling for some extra cash." She explained to Serena. Mina then nodded back to Rei. "Rei has a grandfather who lives at the shrine a couple of blocks from here. You ought to meet him one day Serena. He's hilarious."

"Yeah, if only my father were the same." Rei muttered. Mina gave a small smile of encouragement.

"Hey, at least you dad wasn't trying to introduce you to guys twice your age for the sake of business."

Rei shook her head at the thought. "But at least your dad doesn't badger and try to bribe you to take on the governor's son as an escort."

"You're kidding!" Mina exclaimed.

Rei shook her head, propping a chin on her hand and staring away. "I wish." She sighed. "And so, if I don't find a date by this Friday, he proclaimed that I'm stuck with Señor Watch-and-admire-my-gorgeous-body-while-I-crush-your-toes-to-a-bloody-pulp."

She gave a short shake of her head. "I then made the idiotic mistake of telling him I didn't want to go." Rei reached up and touched her cheek lightly and Minako gave a small, angry start.

"He didn't!" She hissed, scandalized. Rei gave a short snort and nodded, suddenly recalling the sting of the slap from the night before.

"Thank God for coverup." She half-joked with a bitter laugh. Serena and Minako only looked at each other helplessly. They didn't know what to say at that point.

Rei suddenly gave a small smile. "Well, at least one good thing came from it." When the other two looked at her questioningly, she said. "I got him to talk to me with words that had more than two syllables and for a time frame longer than three minutes."

Mina and Serena didn't know whether to be happy or be sad by that fact and Rei just shook her head, replaying the scene with her angry father in her head. Serena gave a small comforting smile and Minako decided that they ought to move off such a depressing subject.

"Hey Rei." She began slyly. "Guess who Serena here ran into this morning."

Serena caught on with Minako's change of topic and went on about her morning meeting with Zachary Monroe and endured all questions and comments from the other two until the bell rang. It was worth retelling a half-lie as far as Serena was concerned, if it meant getting that awful, faraway look out of Rei's eyes.

"Hey guys." Serena called back to them. "I have to go to the bathroom, okay?"

The two nodded and she was off.

Serena had finished touching up her make-up and was washing her hands when she caught a glimpse of hovering scarlet in the mirror in front of her. Already knowing what she'd see, Serena looked up…and watched as Beryl Sinclair sauntered to the sink beside her.

"Hello." Serena took a while to reply at the sudden greeting, thinking that the redhead was talking to someone else. But a quick glance about told her that they were the only ones in the girls' bathroom.

"Uh… Hi." Serena stuttered lamely. Beryl smiled widely.

"You're new here right?" Serena forced a smile and reasoned that, just because the nicest girls she'd met deemed Beryl a she-witch didn't mean she should be rude before exchanging a dozen words with the girl…right?

"Yeah." She replied. "I just transferred."

Beryl nodded sweetly. "So I heard. You're Mr. Cartier's niece, right?"

_I'm getting really tired of that title_. Serena thought but continued smiling as falsely as Beryl. "Yes, I am."

"That's nice." Beryl said patronizingly. "I'm Beryl by the way."

"I know." Serena replied. "You're in my English and Algebra classes."

"Yeah, I noticed you there." Beryl said. "You hang out with Minako, right?"

Serena nodded slowly, getting the idea of where this was going and wanting to _get_ going already. "Yes. She's very sweet."

Beryl gave out a fake, depressed sigh. "Yes, _very_ sweet. It's really all too bad about what happened last year though, isn't it?"

Serena raised an eyebrow at the mocking mood behind the other girl's voice. "Pardon?" She asked in the most careless fashion she could muster without gagging.

Beryl turned away from the mirror to her. She touched Serena's arm sympathetically. "Oh, don't worry about it." She looked down at Serena with a superior look. "I know Minako and her little friends have probably fed you with those horrible stories about me. But I'll tell you right now, they're just _very_ confused."

Serena glanced at the intruding hand on her arm to the red-head in front of her. "Is that so?" She murmured.

Beryl sighed sadly. "Yes. They seem to have it in for me. Can't say I blame them, though."

"Why not?" Beryl looked at the other girl, surprised at the question. She scoffed.

"Well, I_ am_ very popular at this school." She smiled smugly. "I suppose they can't help being even a _little_ bit jealous."

"'Jealous'?" Serena repeated softly. "Is that what they are?"

"Yes." Beryl smirked. She then gave out something between a laugh and a sneer. "Or at least that's what everyone believes."

"You mean that's what you _lead_ everyone to believe." Serena corrected coldly.

Beryl's happy-go-lucky façade was dropped faster than a cheating boyfriend caught red-handed. Serena only half realized that Beryl had tightened her grip on her arm as the girl brought her face menacingly close to Serena's, furious violet eyes glaring into her bright and unfaltering blue gaze.

"I do hope you know that I won't go easy on you just because you're my teacher's niece." She snarled. Serena only smirked.

"Why, Beryl," Serena said sarcastically. "I do hope that that's not a threat."

"Why?" Beryl leered, grinning angrily and tightening her grip. "Scared?"

Smirk. "Hardly."

Excruciating pain suddenly shot through Beryl's arm as Serena gripped her obtrusive hand and jerked it from the death-grip Beryl had on Serena's arm. With a speed that could've been considered abnormal, Beryl's arm was suddenly twisted behind her back and she found herself jerked right next to the bathroom walls, her cheek abruptly pressed hard on the cold surface of the tile walls much like Talon's had been a few hours earlier.

"Do be careful with how you deliver your threats, Beryl." The red-head stopped struggling against the immovable arm lock at Serena's ridiculing tone. Twisting, she tried to glare at the blonde behind her, only resulting in more pain on her captive arm. She was suddenly aware that Serena wasn't really all that dainty or fragile. In fact, she was looking very… _inhuman_ from the anger that was radiating from her. Serena continued in the same patronizing manner Beryl had just used on her. "I'd hate to see you not be able to back them up."

With that, she pushed herself away from the girl, releasing Beryl's hand. Beryl tried to back herself up, as if trying to phase through the bathroom walls. She glared at the impassive Serena, fury and fear in her eyes, cradling her arm. Serena glared at her coldly once more before walking over to the door. Before she left, she turned around, allowing Beryl to see the same enigmatic face she had witnessed at lunch yesterday when Beryl had first seen her with Minako and the others.

"I don't want trouble, Beryl." Serena said, slowly and deliberately. "But if it's a fight you want, you've just been warned."

And so, Serena pushed through the doors, leaving a challenged and alarmed Beryl in her midst. As she made her way to her four new friends with a genuine smile on her face, she barely cast a glance at the curious and previously-eavesdropping Zachary who had been standing right outside the girl's bathroom.

…For those who questioned her ability to change emotional shifts so readily, one had to understand that Serena was a rose.

She was meant to be treated with tenderness and delicate affection so that one could marvel and take pleasure in the beauty that she was.

However, if she was faced with brutality or negligent threats by those who did not know how to handle her, she could and she **would** draw blood.

* * *

chickay

**The end!**

NOT! But it will be if no one reviews and lets me know what they think.

* * *

**Reposted 05/16/11**

**A/N:** Yes it's true: I live!

To be fair: I've graduated, passed my board exams, and found seemingly impossible employment. So cut me some slack on the haterade? I'm still working through the chapters and trying not to hate everything I used to write and turning it into something I can actually read without wanting to claw my eyes out going, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?" And it's a slow process, I know, but my love's still here, otherwise this chapter wouldn't be…

**Also:** And I require someone to handle a site for positing the original MAMC chapters because I suck with my LJ account. So **any takers do please contact me with a PM**. Read and Review (again, since I haven't made an actual chapter update to this story in forever [**but I'm working at it!**]). This story is far from over.


	4. Of Love and Flames

A/N: I do not own Sailor Moon. For a quick note, this time, I'm going to be doing this chapter not just on Serena's perspective. Oh yeah and if you're a big supporter of HarukaxMichiru, I must sadly ask you to turn around now. Haruka is paired with someone else though I won't go too deep in their relationship. But if you don't want to see Haruka with a guy, please don't read any further since this chapter is the first we see of the couple.

**Meus**** Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Of Love and Flames

            When Rei glanced up and saw Serena coming over, she noticed something almost right away. The smile on the girl's face was looking strained, as if she was doing the act with much effort. As the others called out their greetings to her as she pulled out her lunch and sat down, Rei tilted her head slightly, eyeing the girl.

            "What's wrong, Serena?" The girl glanced up at her, startled. Then she smiled and murmured,

            "Looks like I'm not the only observant one around here." She looked around, seeing that the other three girls' attention were now on her as well. Serena cast down at the grass surrounding her, not wanting to meet their curious eyes. She shrugged nonchalantly. "There's nothing really wrong. I just ran into Beryl in the bathroom."

            All eyes on her hardened and Serena could feel their gazes cutting through her brief and vague description of her recent encounter with one of Satan's spawns. Serena smiled in spite of herself. She had just described what was obviously the beginning of a war between her and Beryl's army of look-alike clones like it was a casual meet-and-greet. Sadly however, they didn't know that. And Serena wasn't about to let them in on things just yet.

            "A person doesn't just 'run into' Beryl." Rei said sharply. "The gods must either seriously hate them or she wants something."

            Serena giggled and then met Rei's cynical yet serious violet eyes. She sighed, slightly exasperatedly and shook her head facetiously. "It's nothing, really." She insisted. "Well, it was nothing that I couldn't take on by myself. Honest."

            Rei looked at her disbelievingly and Lita cut in, snarling. "What'd the bitch want?"

            Serena sweat dropped at the girl's ferocity of the situation. "Lita, it's okay, really." She went on to say. Thinking over a mental debate quickly, she said, "Beryl was just trying to get me to come over to the dark side- which she was highly unsuccessful at doing." She inserted the last part hurriedly at their astonished faces.

            Mina muttered a muted curse underneath her breath and Ami wrinkled her nose in disgust.

            "I'd be lying to say that it wasn't expected." The pale girl said. Rei and Lita nodded silently in agreement but Mina was peering at Serena with a strange emotion in her eyes.

            "Did Beryl say anything else?" She inquired quietly. Serena had to raise an eyebrow at the sudden tension that overcame the other three girls. She saw Rei glance up and throw what looked like a warning glare at Mina. If the blonde noticed the said glare, she made no notion of it. Mina's referral to the disturbed redhead brought back a piece of her recent conversation with the girl.

            _"You hang out with Minako, right?"_

_            Serena nodded, getting the idea of where this was going. "Yes. She's very sweet."_

_            Beryl gave out a fake, depressed sigh. "Yes, very sweet. It's really all too bad about what happened last year though, isn't it?"_

            Serena gave a decisive shake of her head, clearing Beryl's menacing figure from her mind and met Mina's somber blue eyes. "No," she said. "At least nothing that was worth listening to."

            "Anything coming out of that bitch's mouth isn't worth listening to." Ami scoffed and Mina and Rei snorted through their drinks at the usage of language from their usually calm friend.

            "Yo Bombshell!" The tensed air hovering over the five teens was broken as they all turned around, startled, to the direction of the voice. A tall and smiling Zachary was making his way to the group, holding a slightly crumbled paper in his hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Rei noticed that Ami's eyes had widened in something that resembled terror and then glanced up and realized that Mina had noticed the same thing. The blonde and brunette exchanged meaningful looks. They would talk about this later. Zachary was already upon them.

            "Hey Zachary." Serena said, smiling. "What's up?"

            "Your forgetfulness apparently." He replied, smirking. He held out the paper in his hand. "I take it Mr. Leland was as fascinating as molding bread?"

            Serena made a face. "Molding bread? Ew." As the others laughed at the tone of her voice, Serena smiled and accepted her notes from the tall blonde. "Thanks."

            He shrugged. "No big. You dropped it on your way out of the bathroom."

            "Well thank you very much." She said, looking at her doodled notes. A wave of awkwardness fell upon the group before Serena turned up to the standing blonde, smiling brightly. "Care to join us for lunch?"

            The other four girls stared at her with incredulous eyes. However, the male blonde that stood over them only raised his eyebrow, surprised but slowly complied when Serena encouraged the commanded with a swing of her head at the spot between her and Mina.

            "Mina." He said shortly to the other blonde, grinning widely. Mina's thoughts of Beryl perished as she smiled back at him.

            "Zach." She replied with the same tone as he used to say her name.

            "How's your brother?" He asked her casually. "I haven't seen him in the longest."

            "Jaden's okay." Mina replied. "He was in Europe studying a while ago but he's home now."

            "Unfortunately." Rei muttered under her breath. Zach heard her and gave a small chuckle.

            "You and him still haven't worked things out?" He asked. Rei raised one eyebrow at him like he was crazy and both Zachary and Mina chuckled.

            Lunch went along pretty okay. Strangely enough for Serena, Rei and Mina seemed to get along fine with Zachary and he and Lita were talking about one sport or another every few minutes. Then there was Ami...

            "-But I'm planning not to go since there's going to be try outs for the swim team soon." Zachary was saying to Lita.

            "You swim?" Serena asked. Zachary nodded.

            "Yeah." He said and Serena noticed a touch of emotion clouding his green eyes. "I love it."

            "You any good?" Serena asked with a sly smile. Zach laughed heartily and shrugged.

            "Sort of." Mina, who had been listening, scoffed at his reply. Turning to Serena she said,

            "Serena, don't listen to him." She looked at him with accusing eyes and he looked away guiltily. "'Sort of' my behind! He's a great swimmer and he's fast. Take it from someone who raced him a good amount of times in the pool."

            Zachary shrugged, laughing. "What can I say? I'm not a bragging person."

            "Ah," Rei smiled deviously. "You mean like your heroic feat this morning?"

            Out of the corner of their eyes Ami and Lita noticed Serena tensed up. They still hadn't heard of what had happened and Mina and Rei were waiting for Serena to let them in on things. Zachary had frowned at the mention of this morning.

            "Me?" He asked. "Don't you mean-"

            "Oh, come on Zach!" Serena interrupted abruptly, smiling. "No need to be modest." Turning to Lita and Ami, she said, "I was walking to school this morning when a bunch of idiotic thugs showed up out of nowhere and starting coming my way. Needless to say if Zach hadn't been there, I could've been in big trouble."

            Lita looked over at Zach in admiration. "Wow, you're a regular hero."

            Ami only smiled at the story, looking over at Serena and purposely avoiding Zachary's intense green gaze. "You must've been scared."

            "'Scared'?" Zach repeated surprised. "Didn't she tell you how-"

            Serena quickly placed a hand on Zach's arm, smiling forcibly while sending him daggers with her eyes.

            "Zachary, I told you. You don't have to be modest." She said slowly, placing an overtone of caution within her words. He caught on and nodded discreetly. Turning to the other girls, he said,

            "Like I said, I'm not a bragging guy."

            The others smiled and bombarded the guy with questions about that morning out of pure curiosity. However, while Mina, Rei, and Lita continued to ask him questions, Serena noticed that Ami was looking as pale as ever.

            Suddenly, Lita asked, out of nowhere,

            "Hey Ami, aren't you going to try out for the swim team this year?"

            All heads swiveled in her direction and Ami flushed lightly at the attention. She swallowed down a bite of her sandwich and said, "I don't think so. You guys know how I am with sports."

            "But you're really good at it." Mina exclaimed. "I've seen you and your sister race before. You guys are great!"

            Ami smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess I'll think it over. It's just that I haven't had much practice lately."

            "But weren't you at some beach this summer?" Lita interjected. "Surely you had more and one opportunity to take a swim out there."

            Ami winced very slightly so that only Rei, sitting by her, could notice and smiled forcibly. "I guess so." She said slowly. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Maybe I will try out. I barely get any exercise around here anyway."

            "That's the spirit!"

            Ami was met with encouraging comments from her friends and she promised to consider trying out...all the while trying very hard to avoid the hard gaze from the only male in the group.

            Serena learned that Rei and Mina had been friends since they were in grade school and had met Zachary a couple of times through Mina's older brother, Jaden. Soon, Lita and Ami stepped into the picture around middle school but they didn't see associate much with Zachary since he and Jaden drifted apart and the girls went through they're whole treat-me-like-a-guy phase. And despite the fact that they had only begun to talk with each other for a while, the other girls (save for one) seemed to readily accept Zachary as a pretty okay guy. Needless to say, his brushing off Beryl yesterday also helped out helped them feel like they had some sense of connection with the guy sitting beside them.

            Another thing that they would look back on later in the future about that time, none of them in the group sitting there on the grassy lawn eating their lunches paid any attention to the intense stares and harsh whisperings of which they were the main subject to. Of course, a lot of people were wondering what the hell trouble-making and cool Zachary Monroe was doing hanging with the girls whom Beryl, his so-called girlfriend, had been trash-talking about for the past year. Also, people were surprised and confused that a guy that seemed so socially different from the girls was able to infiltrate their well-known tight circle.

            And yet, all of them acted so casually as if they'd been talking and hanging out together their whole lives.

            All of them had barely heard the bell that signified the end of lunch. Somewhat reluctantly, all of them got up and brushed the grass off their clothes.

            "So Zach," Serena was saying, picking up her satchel. "What class do you have now?"

            "Gym." He nodded over to Rei and Ami who were both getting up. "I've got the same class as the both of them."

            Serena was only slightly surprised at his response.

            "You walking home today?" Serena shook her head at his question.

            "I have a project to work on with Mina and Rei." He nodded in acknowledgement.

            "Then I'll see you tomorrow." Serena smiled brightly and inclined her head before catching up with Lita for Algebra. Mina waved her good byes and told Rei and Serena to meet her at the front of the school before heading off to history. When it finally dawned on Rei, Ami, and Zachary that they were the only three left, Ami suddenly made some incoherent excuse about some book she had left behind and hurriedly left the scene, saying she'd see Rei in gym in a few minutes. Zachary watched her petite figure disappear amongst the crowd of students that were heading to class with an unfathomable look in his eyes.

            "What happened between you two?" Zachary suddenly turned around, his eyes glazed as he looked at Rei like he had forgotten she was still there. Rei looked over at him with her violet eyes through long lashes calculatingly. She began to walk. "What happened between you two?" She repeated the question as he fell into step with her and the two walked towards the gym together. "Something's up with Ami and all of us have a funny feeling that you're connected to it."

            "Why do you say that?" Even though Zachary was trying very hard to sound casual, Rei noticed the surprised tension behind his voice. She suddenly stopped walking and turned to stare at him intently.

            "Where were you this summer?" Zachary stopped just as abruptly as Rei's sudden question and stared at her with wide eyes. Swimming in those jade-green orbs were many emotions that Rei wasn't really surprised to find. Anger, surprise, suspicion, and others swirled together in them. He stared at the girl who was a couple of inches shorter than him but had an all-knowing air about her as if she knew something he was trying to hide. And Zachary was getting the funny feeling that she _did_ know something he was trying to hide. He suddenly gave a smile and shrugged.

            "Didn't you hear?" He asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I was at reform school abroad."

            "No, I didn't hear that." She replied quietly. Then a strange fire burned into her eyes as she seemingly glared at him. "But I did hear you made a trip to a hospital."

            Zachary couldn't help but smile admiringly at the girl before him though he did feel slightly angry at the information that had been leaked out.

            "You've got some pretty damn good sources if that's the case." He said laughingly. But Rei's interrogating gaze did not waver. Feeling very scrutinized and not liking it, he tore his eyes from her mystifying violet eyes and shrugged uncaringly. "And I don't know why you're trying to link me with Ami over there. I mean, didn't Lita just say that she was at her relative's house this summer?"

            "Funny," Rei said softly in a soft, dreamlike manner that made Zachary feel like he was in deep shit. "The most Lita said was that Ami was by a beach this summer." She felt somewhat satisfied with how the blonde male in front of her suddenly frowned. "How funny it is that you know where Ami told us she was staying this summer."

            "Where Ami '_told you_' she was staying?" He repeated with a scoffing smile. "You make it sound like she's hiding something from you guys."

            "Isn't she?" Zach stiffened at the abrupt question and found himself once more locking gazes with the young woman before him. Rei looked back at him and he was somewhat startled to notice that she was looking hurt and angry.

            "Ami is one of my best friends and I love her like a sister." Rei said firmly and sincerely. "However, I know something happened to her this summer. And I think, no, I **know** that you had something to do with it." She continued confidently, watching his eyes as if waiting for them to betray any emotion that proved her claim. When Zachary said and did nothing but continued to look at her, Rei gave a small smile and shook her head wearily.

            "If something happened to Ami this summer that she doesn't want to talk about, then none of us are going to force it out of her. However," She glanced at him once again with the same small smile but a determine blaze in her amethyst gaze. "If I, or Lita or Mina, find out that you did something to hurt our best friend, staying in this school will be the least of your worries if you catch my drift."

            Zachary had to raise his eyebrows at the conviction behind her words. Seeing she was serious, he couldn't help but plant an impish smile on his face. "Is that a threat, Miss Hino?"

            Rei felt somewhat at ease with the fact that he could still smile and returned his grin with one of her own and shook her head. "No."

            "Good. Then-"

            "It's a promise." Rei interrupted him so quickly that he stared back at her, shocked. Whether it was her confirmation to kick his ass if she learned that he did something wrong to Ami or her own boldness to confront him, he couldn't really tell which one surprised him more. He shook himself out of his daze and noticed that Rei was already walking ahead of him, still heading to the gym room.

            "How can you be so sure that I did something wrong to her?" He called out. Rei suddenly stopped walking and turned to face him slowly. After a brief pause, she said,

            "Quite honestly, Zachary, I don't think you did anything wrong." Her hand reached up and began toying with a pendant strung on a chain around her neck. "Like I said, I know something happened to her and I know that you had some hand in it. Now, whether or not your presence had a negative or positive effect on the situation still remains to be seen." Rei smiled slightly and looked up at him, a somewhat pleasant expression gracing her features. "In my opinion, I think that Ami's hiding something from the rest of us even though we've been best friends for over half a decade. But you." She suddenly pointed a light finger at him, not exactly in an accusing manner. "I think she's avoiding you because you know what she's hiding. Ami's one of the sweetest girls alive today but she's a person you could spend hours talking to and once they leave the room you suddenly realize you know jack squat about them." Rei gave off a laughing smile. "Sort of like you."

            Zachary was slight taken back by her last comment and took a few seconds to gather himself. By then, Rei had set one foot in front of her, looking back at Zachary with an impatient expression.

            "So do I have to take off without you or are we going to get to class now?"

            A few seconds later found them entering the gym together and they split up; Zachary was called by a few friends, and Ami was waiting for Rei.

Needless to say, whatever happened in fifth period Gym that day was barely recorded into the minds of two certain students.

            Mina was waiting for Rei and Serena after school. Ami and Lita both had their own business to attend to so it was just the three girls.

            "Who's picking us up?" Serena asked as she and Rei approached the blonde. Mina held up a hand, looking down at her watch and then snapped back up to look at them.

            "Step aside girls." She said, abruptly pushing them back a few feet. Shouts and screams could suddenly be heard and Mina smiled with mild satisfactory. "Our ride is here."

            A look of disbelief overcame the Rei's face.

            "Please tell me you're joking." From a short distance, a good amount of people were still screaming and shouting curses while Mina nodded, smiling.

            "Can you believe it?" She beamed happily as the screams grew louder, getting closer to them. "My big sib is finally back in town!" She said shortly and the three turned around at the sound of squealing tires, just in time to see a sharp-looking red sports car pull up right by them. The passenger-side window rolled down and they were greeted by a grinning face with short, blonde hair and sunglasses.

            "Hey there baby sister." Mina laughed and the driver got out of the car, walking around the vehicle and promptly hugging the lively girl. The two siblings finally pulled apart and Mina turned to Serena. Serena eyed the boy by the girl once over. He was very tall, wearing a sleeveless, white shirt, very baggy pants and combat boots. This must be Mina's older brother, Jaden.

            "Serena, this is my sister, Haruka." Or maybe not. Serena sweat dropped and her mouth dropped open. This was a girl? The older sibling seemed to know what she was thinking and laughed at Serena's flushing face.

            "Don't worry about it." She said in a light voice. "A lot of people think I'm a guy at first glance."

            And she was right. Just when Serena knew the girl's actual gender, she noticed the other factors that she had skipped on while looking her over. Serena now noticed the bulge in Haruka's chest area, the hips on which the girl's pants hung on, and the small silver hoops that dangled from her ears. Also, Haruka had now pulled up her sunglasses, revealing bright, teal blue eyes.

            "Ruka, this is Serena." Mina continued on with the introductions. "She recently transferred here from Japan."

            Haruka nodded, clasping hands with Serena. "Nice to meet you." Her bright eyes then trailed over to the brunette who hadn't said anything since Haruka's arrival. Haruka narrowed her eyes and then a flash of recognition hit her.

            "Rei?" She asked uncertainly. "Reina Hino?"

            Rei smiled widely and nodded. Haruka gave a sound of surprise and smiled widely.

            "Damn." She said. "It's been a while. Like what? Eight months?"

            "As if!" Mina cried out indignantly, elbowing her sister. "Try a year and a half!"

            Haruka sweat dropped slightly at the time frame, rubbing her side slightly.

            "Close enough, eh?" She laughed as her sister pouted and drew her into another hug. "What can I say? Work keeps me busy."

            At this Mina rolled her eyes but continued to smile. Haruka ruffled her little sister's hair and then nodded her head over to the car.

            "Well, are we gonna go or what?" Mina and Serena nodded and they got into the car but Rei was looking skeptical. Haruka saw this and grinned apologetically.

            "C'mon, Rei." She said, smiling. "I promise I won't go higher than eighty this time."

            Rei looked unconvinced but reluctantly got into the car. Apparently, Rei had some bad experience with Haruka's driving. Serena learned that Haruka was a racer, both on bikes and cars. She had taken on their mother's maiden name, Tenoh, when racing and Serena got the impression that she did so because their father didn't approve of Haruka's choice of career.

            "Mina," Serena began as Haruka made a rather sharp turn. "You have an older brother right?"

            Mina nodded and Haruka said, "Jaden's my twin brother." She grinned crookedly. "For being the elder one, he sure acts like a kid." Haruka glanced up and caught Rei rolling her eyes and laughed.

            "Don't tell me you and him are still at it."

            "At what?" Rei asked cynically, causing Haruka to smile.

            "You know," Haruka began. "Me and Mina here were convinced you two were actually in love with each other when we were younger."

            Rei's face contorted to a highly comical expression. "Me? In love with him?" She shook her head. "Please don't insult me."

            The other three laughed at the brunette's reply and Haruka and the others laughed good-naturedly as they all filed out of the car as they had arrived at the house. Haruka mentioned something about taking a dip in the pool and disappeared and the three were left on their own. Serena took note of a haphazard comment Mina made about their parents being gone for a week on some business and measured the possibility that the absence of the parental units was linked with Haruka's sudden appearance in the Aino household.

            After about two hours, two bags of popcorn, a bag of chips, and numerous soda cans, the girls had basically outlined what they were going to do with their project for Drama. After a while, the girls had been just talking with each other freely in front of the T.V. when they heard the front door open.

            Mina craned her neck from her position on the coffee table where they had scattered about their plans and foods. "Who's there?"

            "Brad Pitt." Came the gruff reply. Mina squealed and promptly stood up and ran to the doorway. Serena glanced at Rei, who was now looking up at the ceiling, as if blaming the gods. Haruka suddenly came into the room from the sliding door that led to the pool outside, frowning. Her short hair was dripping slightly and sunglasses were perched on her head while a sheer blue wrap hung around her waist.

            "Who screamed?" At that point Mina entered, her arm slung through a tall blonde man's arm. The man was dressed in a suit minus the tie with a coat that was swung over his shoulder and both were smiling. Haruka raised her eyebrows in surprise and leaned against one of the walls while Rei was silently wondering if she could escape without being noticed and Serena was sitting there wide a wide, goofy smile, clueless.

            Finally, Mina pulled away from the blonde and turned to the others, smiling excitedly.

            "Ruka! Looks who's here!" Twin sets of blue eyes collided with each other for the first time in a long while. For a while, neither of the two said anything but continued to stare at each other. Finally, the man by Mina looked Haruka up and down and frowned.

            "What is that?" Haruka snorted and put her hands on her hips.

            "It's called a bikini, Jaden." She said, referring to the stringy dark blue bikini she was sporting. He grimaced.

            "Well go put on a shirt or something, will you?" Haruka looked at him incredulously before both burst out laughing. The tall man made his way to Haruka and enveloped her in a hug.

            "It's good to see you again, Ruka." He said sincerely. She smiled at him.

            "Like wise, Jay." Turning to Rei and Serena, she smirked slyly. "Jaden, I don't think you've met Serena here."

            Jaden Aino looked at Serena appreciatively, admiring the younger girl's mystical beauty. He smiled, bright blue eyes twinkling.

            "Hey there."

            "Hi." Serena smiled, sweat dropping at his flirting attempts.

            Jaden's eyes then swiveled over to the exotic brunette that was trying to avoid his gaze. He raised an eyebrow at her and walked till he was right in front of her. He scooped up her hand in a debonair manner, asking,

            "And who is this lovely maiden over here?" As he brought his lips to kiss her knuckles.

            "Gee, bro," Haruka began sarcastically. "How on earth could you forget the divine Reina Hino?"

            Jaden's eyes widened considerable and he paused, mid-pout, ready to kiss the hand before him. He lifted his azure eyes to the young woman who was looking at him with mild amusement.

            "Hello Jaden." Serena covered her mouth while the blonde sisters of the household didn't bother to hide their laughter as Jaden suddenly pulled away at realizing who this young woman was. Even Rei chuckled slightly at the surprised look on his face.

            "Who-what the? And how..." Jaden stammered.

            "Forgive him, Rei." Haruka said, latching her arm around her brother's. "He always gets like this around girls who've dunked him in the mud at age ten."

            At this, the younger females laughed harder and Jaden turned a bright red color. Just then, a knock could be heard at the door. Rei got up, smiling and turned to Serena.

            "That's probably Seiya. C'mon." Rei scooped up her satchel and, casting one last glance at Jaden's surprised face, walked to the front door where Mina was already heading to. Looking at the twins before her, Serena stood up and bowed slightly.

            "It was nice to meet you both." She said and Jaden shrugged as Haruka looked off to where Mina and Rei had vanished to.

            "No big. Come around some time, okay?" Serena nodded and waved good-bye to the two before hurrying to the front door. She was greeted with the sight of Mina and Rei chatting with a tall dark haired man with dark blue eyes. A sudden wave of nostalgia hit her.

_            As she gazed upon the setting sun, feeling her troubles of the day slipping as the light rays, she heard someone calling her name. Glancing down, she met a rather pleasant sight. _

_            His dark hair partly covered his beautiful blue eyes as he looked up at her, shielding his eyes from the dying sun._

_            "Usagi!" He smiled. "Come down already!"_

            She snapped back to reality when she noticed that Mina and Rei were looking at her, concerned.

            "Serena, are you okay?" Serena smiled forcibly, nodding.

            "Oh! Serena, this is my older brother, Seiya." The tall dark-haired man by Rei nodded, smilingly. Serena nodded.

            "Nice to meet you." Seiya smiled.

            "Likewise." At that point, Jaden walked over to the foyer.

            "Seiya?" The said man looked over at the direction of the voice and grinned.

            "Jaden!" Seiya stepped into the house and the two shook hands. "Where've you been this whole time, man?"

            Jaden shook his head, smiling. "Busy with work and school. You?"

            Seiya sighed. "Same thing. How long has it been since I saw you?"

            "A little over half a year, right?" Seiya shrugged and the two laughed together.

            "Hey, why don't you come around to the club soon?"

            "Oh yeah, I heard you guys were doing great over there." Seiya beamed at the praise and nodded.

            "Yeah, we've been having great business so pop up sometime, alright?" Jaden nodded in agreement.

            "Hell yeah. I haven't seen you guys in the longest." Rei leaned in to whisper to Serena as the two men chatted with each other.

            "Seiya, Jaden, and Haruka were pretty close a while ago. But then they graduated and started their careers and so they didn't see much of each other."

            At this point, Haruka, who had heard all the voices in the other room, came in to see what was going on. She suddenly stopped where she was once she saw the newcomer. Jaden noticed her presence and turned around, smiling at his sister.

            "Hey Ruka! Seiya's here." The other three tuned in to hear the response and were surprised to see Seiya tense up highly at Haruka's appearance. Jaden looked concerned, too, when his twin's cerulean eyes narrowed in Seiya's direction.

            "Haruka." Serena and the others were surprised at the coldness in his voice as he regarded the blonde before him.

            "Seiya." If Seiya's tone of voice sent shivers down the watching audience's backs, then Haruka's tone just froze them into icicles. For a while, everyone stayed where they were, as if the tension in the room had solidified and locked them in their places while Seiya and Haruka glared at each other. Finally, Haruka tore her eyes away from him and shook her head as if she was in disbelief.

            "I'm heading back to the pool." She muttered before turning around and walking out of the foyer. Serena was startled at the sight of Haruka's bare back. For on it, was a large tattoo of wings. In stark black, elegant and complex designs were a pair of angel wings drawn on Haruka's back. Jaden turned his eyes on his youngest sister.

            "When the hell did she get a tattoo?" Mina gave her brother an exasperated look before saying that Haruka had said she got it about six months ago.

            Rei coughed loudly, trying to draw her brother's attention. Seiya turned away from the direction where Haruka had left and turned to his sister questioningly.

            "Uh, Sei? We still have to drop Serena off." Sei suddenly snapped out of his daze, nodding and muttering something incoherent that called for the two to go to the car.

            "I'll catch you later, Jaden." Seiya called out, getting into his car. Jaden nodded, waving at the doorway with Mina. "Come around to the club, sometime, okay?"

            Jaden nodded and they were off. After Serena had given Seiya directions to her house, the three sat in silence.

            "What the hell was that?" Seiya glanced at his younger half-sister's vehement tone in surprise before looking back to the road.

            "What was what?" He asked nonchalantly.

            "You know what I mean." Rei said, glaring at her brother. "What was up with you two? I thought you and Haruka were good friends. I mean, you two knew each other longer before me and Mina met up."

            Seiya's gaze had hardened and Serena noted that his knuckles had turned white as he gripped the steering wheel before him.

            "Things change, Rei." Rei glared even harder at her brother at his short and vague response.

            "Like what things?" She demanded. "You and Ruka spent more time together then you did with Jaden. You dragged raced with each other and the only reason the both of you even tried out for track was because the other would be there."

            "Drop it!" Seiya snapped and Rei was taken back with the anger behind her brother's tone. Seiya noticed this almost immediately and began apologizing. "Aw, Rei, I'm sorry." He reached over with one hand and stroked his sister's hair. He sighed. "Look, things just changed between me and her. It's really no big deal, okay? So please just drop it."

            Rei looked unconvinced but nodded as they pulled up to the Cartier household.

            Serena got out and thanked them for the ride and wished them goodnight. The siblings smiled back and said it was no problem and Serena walked into her house. A blur of white collided with her and she giggled.

            "Put me down, Kunthan!" Her brother laughed and did what he was told.

            "Hey there kiddo." He said, placing a kiss on her forehead. As Serena put aside her satchel, the two moved over to the dining room where dinner was ready. "How's your project coming along?"

            "It's good. Hi, Auntie Elle." Serena said, dropping by her aunt's seat and kissing her on the cheek.

            "Had a good day?" Serena nodded as her uncle walked into the room from his study and planted a kiss on his niece's forehead.

            "Dig in people!" Serena giggled and did as she was told. Halfway through dinner, they heard the phone ringing. Since Serena was the closest, she got up to answer it in the living room.

            "Hello?" There was a pause in the other line as there were other voices in the background and then a very memorable accent spoke through.

            "Hello? Usagi?" Serena snapped her head up in attention at the familiar language and dropped the phone on the tile ground, letting it clatter loudly and drawing her aunt into the room. She grabbed Usagi's face, forcing her to meet her own.

            "Usagi?" She questioned, concerned. "What's wrong?"

            Serena couldn't make a sound and glanced quickly at the phone on the floor. Luna followed her gaze and answered it sharply. Even from her distance from the phone, Serena heard the same voice, asking the same question. Luna's scarlet eyes looked over at Serena's teary blue ones fearfully before she spoke sharply into the phone.

            Serena was only barely aware that her aunt was making some excuse that she couldn't understand the Japanese language that she was being questioned with and the caller probably had the wrong number and the frail blonde didn't pay much attention when her aunt hung up the phone. Luna turned away from the phone and looked at Serena with distressed eyes. Slowly, she enveloped the young girl in her arms, feeling the slight wetness on her shoulder as the girl cried.

            "What the hell??" Kunthan and Artemis had entered the room and were surprised at the scene that greeted them. Kunthan walked over to his sister, frowning at his aunt.

            "What happened?" He demanded. "Who was it?"

            Serena adjusted her head on her aunt's shoulder and said something unintelligible.

            "What?" Serena cleared her throat and looked over at her brother, pain glinting off the usually cheerful silver blue eyes.

            "It was Naru..." She whispered harshly, smiling softly through tears. "I heard Ann in the background, too." The adults in the room gazed at each other with mixed emotions and Kunthan came forward and she fell into his arms, sobbing her heart out.

chickay

…Good God I'm evil! Review!


	5. And Death Smiled

A/N: I do not own Sailor Moon. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and made me feel special. ::hugs!:: BTW, since this is going to be the shortest chapter (to me anyways) by far, I might as well tackle some frequent questions that you guys asked me.

            The number 1 question everyone wants to know is 'What happened to Serena in Japan?' Well, I wrote this chapter especially for those curious readers but don't expect a full explanation here. If anything, you'll catch a glimpse of what happened to Serena but I'm not gonna spoil it all (after all, I'm evil!)

            Another question that I've gotten referred to how the characters acted in my story versus how they acted in the anime/manga. So far, I've tried to put the characters like the audience saw them as. This is hard since everyone has a lot of different views on each character (ex: some think Rei's a bitch, others think she really cares for her friends but doesn't show it openly, etc). But I've tried to put as much of their original character as possible (Makoto's love of cooking, Ami's swimming and intellectual capacities, Haruka's fast-driving tendency, Serena's love for food, Seiya's musical attributes at the club [which I will go into soon], and etc) 

            One more minor question I've got more than once referred to Serena's somewhat sudden personality changes. For one thing, keep in mind that when she does become aggressive, it's when she's being threatened. (Refer to the last lines in Rose chapter)

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

And Death Smiled

            She turned and twisted fitfully in her dreamless slumber. Beads of sweat rolled down her exposed skin and her beautiful face contorted to a grimace as she slept. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, maroon eyes colliding with the same darkness that greeted her in her sleep. Breathing raggedly, she sat up, bringing her blanket-covered legs to her chest as she wiped aside some strands of midnight hair that had pressed against her face, attached by the sweat that had accumulated throughout the night. What time was it?

            A quick glance outside her wide window to the outside world told her it was dawn soon, the sky being lit up back a dark blue tone that resembled the same color when dark clouds covered a town before there was a storm. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her rapid heart beat underneath the sheer night gown. She shook her head, though what she was thinking at the time was as enigmatic as she was. She looked upon the sleeping figure that rested by her and a content expression touched her elegant features.  She leaned over and placed a kiss on the other's forehead and, smiling slightly, she got out of the bed, revealing a short night gown that came up mid-thigh with spaghetti straps and an imperial waistline.

            She ran a brush through her long, straight, black hair before shrugging on a robe. As she walked about her three-bedroom, two and half bathroom apartment, she made her way to her living room. Only partly conscious of what she was doing, she went over to a bookcase she had stacked with designer magazines, baby books, and various other collections. However, her slim hand seemed to be thinking on its own and reached out for a certain book on the higher shelves so that she stood on her tip-toes before acquiring was she had been aiming for. She looked over at it for a while, taking in the hard-leather cover and golden clasp before she turned and went walking on again. A few seconds later found her in her drawing room, various pictures and designs splattered here and there. Without putting down the book she held in her hand, she cleared away a space for what she was about to do. She pulled up her seat and opened the clasp and pulled on the cover.

            About half of the book's 'pages' lifted up, revealing a square-shaped compartment in the book. The woman reached in and pulled out the scarlet bag that was contained in the compartment space. She opened that and pulled out the items inside and then placed the red bag back in the 'book', closed it, and then pushed it aside. She looked down at the items in her hand. A stack of cards lay in her palm and she took a deep breath. It had been a while since she did this. 

            A few minutes of clearing her mind, she was reading to begin.

            She shuffled the deck a couple of times, imagining each time she finished shuffling and pushing the cards in an orderly fashion as if she was organizing her thoughts. She closed her eyes as she did this. She pictured her older sister, smiling at her, laughing with that catlike grin on her face and then the somber yet beautiful blonde young woman with the saddest cerulean eyes she had ever seen. She opened her own eyes slowly, slowing her breathing to a relaxed pace.

            Holding onto her thoughts unwaveringly, she began to draw out the cards, placing them in a pyramid fashion: Four cards at the bottom, three on top of those, two on those, and then one solitary card at the top. She placed the rest of the cards back into the bag, not taking her gaze off the layout before her. 

            And then she began.

            "What has been..." She murmured, referring to the first four cards before her with a slight frown. She knew they weren't going to be pretty.

            She flipped over the first one and couldn't help but give out a wistful smile.

            "_Coppe._" She breathed. "The Ace of Chalices."

            It was simple card. It was more of a fountain than a chalice if anything. Emotional waters ran from the openings of the chalice, the symbolism of love in the field of cartomacy. And as the Ace of Chalices, the card before her represented the start of a love.

            She continued to smile. Yes, that was true, indeed. As her palm moved over to the next card in line, her brow furrowed somewhat. She had a feeling that, after such a happy card, something not so pleasant would be revealed. As she turned over the next card, the woman mentally wished that she hadn't guessed right.

            The card was pretty self-explanatory. It was of a man, covered in black medieval clothing. Black bat wings sprouted from his back and they were flared upwards, showing that the figure in the card was just landing. He held an evil-looking three pronged pitchfork in his right hand and some white feathers danced in the scene, pensive remnants of the elegant wings the figure had renounced for the boiling lava pits at the bottom of the card. There was no mistaking this card.

            "_Il Diavolo_. The Devil." The woman gazed at the card for a few seconds. This was one of the more amusing cards to her. This devil had dark hair, a couple of tresses whipped up into two makeshift horns right at his forehead. His eyes, however, we closed. The woman had often wondered what emotions she would find swirling in the man's eyes. Regret? Arrogance? Satisfaction? She continued on her train of thought for a few more seconds and continued on her reading. This card was upside down and she closed her eyes, searching for its meaning. At once, she recalled the translation. "Imbalance and a rapid shift of emotions." She recited dutifully. "A time of confusion and evil actions."

            _With people like them, it's to be expected_. She thought venomously. She shook her head sadly at the thought that crossed her mind and then turned to the next card.

            "_Re di Coppe_." She murmured, turning over the card. "The King of Chalices." 

            On it was a man, sitting on a golden throne, holding out one, single elaborate chalice to the spectator. His clothes were richly of course, with a long cape draped over one shoulder as he gazed back with an enigmatic expression on his hard eyes. The image was supposed to represent stability in all aspects, as the King held possession over the single chalice, a symbol of the ever-changing, ever-shifting element of love and water. However, this card was upside down. And so, as the woman recalled, it represented discord between whom she thought of in her mind and a rather powerful man.

            She ran her fingers over her lips thoughtfully and tapped the upside down card with her other hand. After a moment's passing, she moved on the other card and took in a sharp breath.

            "_Spade_. Or more specifically, Eight of Swords."

            Once more, it was a pretty simple card with a rather brutal meaning behind it. It was just eight swords, crossing each other downwards. This, too, was upside down. The woman sighed sadly.

            "Eight of Swords." She repeated. "Betrayal."

            The woman looked on at the four revealed cards before her, not bothering to look at the other six cards above them for a while.

            _Yes_. She thought. _It had been an incredibly rough time_. How they had gotten through it still amazed her.

            She now focused her attention on the three unturned cards above the four she had just exposed.

            "What is now..."

            At the very first card, she couldn't help but frown.

            "_Regina de Spade_." She said, leaning back on her chair. "The Queen of Swords."

            This was a feministic card in her point of view. On it was a fair-haired woman, a diamond-embedded tiara nestled on her hair, representing her royal standard. However, she was clad in a knight's armor, the silver of the suit gleaming almost as brightly as the determined smile on her lips. She held a sword in her right hand that she kept slanting to her left upper corner, away from those facing her, yet using the blade as somewhat of a barrier between her and anyone else. She was a ruler of her own domain, having no need for anyone to watch over her as she was capable of handling trouble without much assistance. Yet, her eyes held loneliness that contradicted with the smile on her face which explained why she was interpreted as a difficult character. She also represented a time of sadness and separation, as was symbolized when the figure on the card kept her distance from anyone trying to get close to her.

            "_Il Sole_." The woman continued, turning over the next card. "The Sun."

            An adorable male cherub was shown on the card. The heavenly being was standing a top a cloud that hovered over grassy lands, holding up a face from which bright orange-red spikes of light show out of. The Sun represented clarity and rationality, as was interpreted by the sun figure the young cherub held up, that chased away dark shadows of doubt and evil. Thankfully, this card was right side up and represented emotions of happiness, harmony, and friendship.

            The woman doing the reading smiled a little bit. The girl was still wary of getting close to anyone as was shown with the Queen of Swords. However, the Sun card showed that she was getting along fine, finding happiness where she was.

            As she turned over the next card, she raised an eyebrow at it.

            "_La Forza_. Strength."

            On the card was a little girl, looking about eight or ten, barefoot and wearing peasant clothing. Her tiny hands forced open the jaws of a raging lion before her with clear show of no effort. This card did not represent physical force but more of an intellectual strength that allows one to overcome obstacles before them. This particular obstacle that was represented in this card was one of evil.

            _Looks like she has her own evils to dispel of_. But this card was right side up, showing that the child was doing just fine with this evil figure, being able to fend it off without any support.

            The woman sat back, admiring the Present of the child. She was still wary of the past but was seemingly able to move on and she had become stronger as was visible from what she could decipher with the Strength card. The woman nodded, smiling. She was glad to see she was doing okay for now. Her eyes then trailed up to the two cards about the three ones she had just turned over. 

            _What is to come._ She fidgeted slightly. She wasn't all too comfortable at all with reading those cards. She often felt it would be just jinxing herself by doing it. However, temptation and pure curiosity lead her fingers to one of the cards up there. She gasped.

            "_Gliamanti_." She breathed, claret eyes widening in horror. "The Lovers."

            On the card was a boy and a girl, both looking around ten years of age, holding on to each other's hand. Despite their ages, however, they wore clothes twice their size as they stood underneath a cloud upon which Cupid, wings fanned out, eyes blinded by a cloth, held out his darts of love, ready to strike. The young figures on the card represented a promise of a love, as was depicted by their oversized wedding garbs that they would grow into over the time period of their sworn love. Unfortunately, this card was upside down. 

            "An unrequited love." Her breathing had gone ragged as she recited its meaning. She hurriedly turned over the card by it.

            "_Cavaliere di Bastoni_." Her fears were confirmed. "The Knight of Wands."

            A tall young man, probably in his twenties or late teens sat on a regal horse that was rearing up. As a court character, he was dressed in armor with a long cape attached at the shoulders. He had dark hair and held a long wand in his right hand while the other hand gripped the reigns of the horse. It was a rather contradictory card. The horse that was rearing represented youthful freedom, the ferocity of the juvenile creativity. However, the young man riding on top of the horse, gripping the reigns in his had, showed repression of such immature notions of the adolescence.

            "An unexpected departure on the part of a dark-haired man." She muttered, eyes glazed over and she gulped down a lump in her throat. "He comes."

            For a moment, she sat where she was, entranced by the revelations that were brought to her. Finally, she gazed upon the last, single card that the past, present, and future all led up to. With slightly shaking hands, she picked up the card, lifted it off her table and...

            "Mom?" Startled, Setsuna Tomoe dropped the card abruptly and turned to the doorway of her drawing room. Her twelve year old daughter stood in the doorway, still wearing her purple pajamas, rubbing her eyes awake. The woman gave a smile at her daughter and motioned for the girl to come to her.

            "What's wrong Hotaru?" Her daughter walked into the room slowly. Once she came upon the woman, she knelt down on the floor, placing her head on her mother's lap. The woman began stroking her ebony hair, a trait she inherited from her mother.

            "I had a dream." The girl began. "A dream about daddy."

            The woman temporarily stopped stroking her daughter's hair for a second and then resumed.

            "What was it about?" She asked softly.

            "I dreamt he was here." The girl said just above a whisper. "I dreamt that I would wake up every morning, get dressed for school and come bounding down the stairs. You'd be making breakfast at the stove. He'd have his arms wrapped around your waist and you'd kiss each other good morning."

            The woman chuckled lightly at the thought, although she had dying inside at the idea. Hotaru went on.

            "Then he'd notice that I was there." She felt her daughter smile against her lap. "He'd swing his arms out wide and swoop me up like when I was three." She turned her head towards her mother, bright purple gazing into dark maroon. "You remember, don't you?"

            Setsuna smiled widely, cupping her daughter's face. "Of course I do. I'd yell at him to put you down since I was scared he'd drop you or something."

            They shared a quick laugh over that before a comforting silence fell upon them. Her daughter voiced what they had both been thinking at that point.

            "I miss him, mom." She said, her voice thick as she looked at her mother, bright eyes filling with tears. "I really miss him."

            Setsuna nodded, fighting back tears of her own. She could not be weak for her daughter, not now. "I miss him too baby." She said pulling up her daughter for a hug. "I miss him too."

            For a while, they sat there, mother and daughter; one mourning the loss of a father, the other mourning the loss of a partner, friend, husband, and lover. A sudden wail pierced the moment and they pulled away. Setsuna smiled down at her daughter, absentmindedly pushing aside dark strands from Hotaru's face.

            "It's my turn." She said, rising. "I'll take care of it."

            Hotaru nodded, smiling just the same and let her mother go through. She stood up and watched as the woman exited the room and went off to the source of the cry. She hugged herself and looked about, aimlessly wondering what her mother was doing here.

            Her eyes found the drawing table that was cleared of all clutter except for ten cards; all turned upwards save for the card she saw her mother drop when she had startled her mother with her appearance. She quirked an eyebrow and sat in the chair, drawing herself by the cards. She knew her mother had these cards but it had been a good while since she had brought them out from their hiding place. Setsuna had begun to teach her daughter how to interpret these cards a long time ago. When her father had died, she stopped and Hotaru didn't say anything. In fact, the young teen continued to learn the ways of interpretation on her own quite well.

            She looked at the nine upturned cards thoughtfully. 

            _Hmm...I wonder what she was doing_. Her eyes shifted over to the card her mother dropped when she came into the room. From what she could remember from the layout before her, this one card was the result out of the past, present, and future events. She frowned as she looked at it.

            _La Morte_. Death.

            A pure skeleton of a body faced the watcher. In his left hand he held a bow, in his right, an arrow. The skeleton had brought the two together, not poised to shot, but as if patiently waiting for its target. However, the Death card hardly ever meant a mass massacre and the picture actually portrayed somewhat of a silent assassin. In fact, the Death card was meant to interpret a more of a warning to the querent than the wide-believed actual action of murder. If anything, it was constant reminder that humans are mortals and vulnerable to the rapid changes of life and death and that no one was an exception.

            Now, there were actually two very conflicting attributes to this card's interpretation. On one hand, when right side up, the card represented a time of radical transformation and unexpected changes, closely followed by the end of an long, strenuous ordeal. However, when upside down, the card was meant to depict the very essence of Evil and even physical death or emotional losses on one or multiple parties.

            Unfortunately, Hotaru had no idea which way the card was to be placed since she had interrupted the reading and so the card could've faced up or down.

            She glared at the card as she set it down. The smirking face of the Death's skeleton continued to smile, as if knowing which way he was to face, and selfishly not telling the young teen. She was called out of her trance by a call from her mother and she left the drawing room, calling out a reply.

            On the drawing table, the lifeless skeleton of Death continued to grin.

~*chickay*~

::grins:: That was fun. While cleaning out some things in my room (because my sister is a neat freak) I fell upon one of my two Tarot decks which inspired this beautifully created chapter which gives you some insight of what's been and what's to come. The cards I mentioned were real cards by the way though I think I twisted some of the meanings a bit to make it fit into the story. But don't expect everything to follow the guideline that I've just leaked out now. This is me, after all.

REVIEW!


	6. Heart to Heart

A/N: Eep! Two months too many! Sorry for not updating quicker but there's this hellhole I have to attend, this school. Apparently the government requires us to go to this...school, for educational training and learning crap like how Phillip I married a crazy lady and his son, Phillip II married his own aunt/cousin. And do I really care about determinants? Hell freaking no! *achem* Please ignore me. It's just that I've murdered multiple forests here with all the paper I'm using up to write up all this crap that I'll forget once it's all over with.

            Okay, also, I guess it was pretty stupid of me to put my characters in a sort of private school and having different classes since most private schools have all their students of the same grade in one class, all taking the same courses at the same times. But bear with me, let's just say my make-up school is special, eh?

            Hehe. I was on a sugar-hype one time and me and my friend were just being stupid when we realized just how alike school was to Azkaban from the Harry Potter series (none of which I own, sadly). Azkaban's like this prison where this horrible creatures called Dementors suck the joy of life out of you. Hmm...Azkaban...prison...school...dementors...teachers...I'm seeing a pattern here. For anyone rolling their eyes at my ridiculous antics, gimme a break. 

My heart goes out to that poor Cubs fan sucker. Oh well, we of Florida salute (and pray for) you! Holy crud! Marlins have just won against the Cubs! (it's like 11:32 pm) Go Marlins. Whoop whoop! (ignore me and read)

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Heart to Heart

            "You look like shit." Zachary smirked as he barely ducked the hand aiming for his head. She growled sarcastically,

            "Thank you, Master of the Obvious."

            He laughed and stepped aside, leaning against the fence wall as Serena began trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Some of the humor left his jade green orbs as he took in her slightly slumping posture and the somber bags beneath the bloodshot and dulled eyes. He quirked an eyebrow in concern. "You okay, Bombshell?"

            Serena brought her hand away from her face and looked over at him with glazed eyes that gradually zapped back to life, as if she had just noticed his presence. After an airy 'Hunh?' she smiled slightly. 

            "Do I look _that _bad?" She asked hesitatingly. Zachary snorted.

            "Bombshell, the wet sewer rat I encountered in the school cafeteria two years ago is starting to look like a supermodel compared to your disheveled state of appearance." He said arrogantly, smiling. "And that rat was dead."

            "Lucky rat." Serena murmured half-offhandedly.

            The two looked at each other for a moment then burst out laughing.

            "So what happened to you?" He asked as they started walking. Serena let out a sigh and, closing her eyes, shook her head slowly. When she did open them, they glistened with held back tears.

            "I'd rather not talk about it." She said softly, waving her hand dismissively. Zachary nodded, being sensitive enough to not ask questions. He swung his satchel over one shoulder and went on walking until a thought struck him.

            "Hey, doesn't your uncle bring you to school?" Serena glanced at him and nodded before looking back to where she was headed.

            "Actually, he offered to bring me to school." She said. Zachary frowned.

            "So why didn't you take it?" Serena smiled at his question.

            "I thought it would be rude to leave you waiting for me. Plus," She added, sweat dropping. "He's used to getting up early and I'm- well, uh, not."

            Zachary chuckled. "I take it you're not an early bird."

            Serena rolled her eyes. "That would be an understatement."

            Zachary smiled and nodded understandingly and the two walked on in comfortable silence. That is, until...

            "So exactly how much did you overhear yesterday?" Zachary face-faulted and his eyes swirled at the sudden and unexpected question. He looked up at Serena who stood above him with a semi-amused expression on her face. She giggled and bent over at his prone figure. Serena winked and held up two fingers in the V position, smiling widely. "Just 'cause I may be slightly air headed, doesn't mean that I miss discreet details cause some redhead pissed the fuck out of me."

            Zachary laughed, getting back up to his feet, dusting himself off. "So you _did_ see me?" He asked skeptically. Serena nodded.

            "'Course, what you were doing stand by the girl's bathroom totally escapes me." She said offhandedly as a tinge of red reached the young man's cheeks. He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

            "I was trying to escape some of Beryl's groupies." He said with a hint of exhaustion and irritation in his voice. "I turned the corner right when the snakes stampeded by."

            Serena made a slight grimace that Zachary noted.

            "What?" She sighed as he stopped and looked at her inquiringly. "What's with the gloom?"

            Serena bit the inside of her cheek before saying, "It's just that..." She sighed. "Why do you put up with them?" She blurted out, causing him to quirk an eyebrow in surprise. She sighed, stopping to explain. "Anyone with two eyes, an average I.Q. level, and no delusional mind frame can see you detest them. Granted, I'm sure you enjoy the attention of artificially altered bimbos," She rolled her eyes as he suddenly grinned widely. Elbowing him, "But obviously you're not too fond of their...schmaltzy shows of affection."

            Zachary burst out laughing. "'Schmaltzy'? 'Affection'? Is that they're calling it now?"

            Serena slapped his arm, pouting. "You know what I mean!" She snapped. Zachary continued to laugh and Serena glared at him, fists propped upon her hips. She sniffed, annoyed. "Fine, be that way."

            Zachary made a gasp out of his laughter and reached out for her arm. "No..." He said in between gasps of laughter. "Wait...hang on...Haha..."

            Serena rolled her eyes as he fell into laughter again. "Boys." She muttered. Zachary grinned, straightening.

            "Sorry." He said apologetically, eyes brightened with mirth. "It's just the way you put it." He laughed. "Describing the bimbo brigade so eloquently when they're anything but."

            Serena couldn't suppress the grin. "You know, the others used the same term for those girls."

            "Who do you think started the trend?" He retorted. Serena laughed disbelievingly. 

            "So back to the first question." Serena said, wiping away a laughing tear. She straightened as they walked on. "How much did you hear as you hid outside the girl's bathroom?"

            Zachary grinned widely. He had actually hoped that she would not be so quick to remember his slight, though purely accidental, intrusion of privacy. "Not much gets by you does it?"

            Serena shook her head proudly. "Nope!"

            Chuckling, he said, "I heard enough standing outside that bathroom to burn a memo to never piss you off into my brain."

            Serena laughed, her lilting sounds brightening the air about them. She smiled thoughtfully. "You know, I've never had this sort of trouble with redheads before."

            Zachary raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

            Serena nodded. "Yup. In fact, my two best friends back in Japan were both redheads."

            "Serious?" Serena had to giggle at the incredulous tone of his voice.

            "Completely."

            Zachary nodded, taking in the information as an attentive look fixed over his eyes. He glanced at the girl walking by his side and tilted his head, studying her. Serena noticed this and blinked.

            "What?"

            "You weren't here last year." It wasn't a question. Serena looked slightly a taken back by the statement but faced forward and nodded. Zachary went on. "Your uncle's from whose side of the family?"

            "My mother's." She replied. A clouded look passed over her face. "She and Uncle Artemis were very close when they were younger. I guess they drifted over some time."

            "So why'd you move here?" He prodded. He, like many at the school, he had discovered, were intrigued by this beautiful young woman that held a relation with one of their teachers. However, he was truly surprised and concerned at the dark shadow that slowly overcame her fairy-like features.

            "My dad died." Her voice was barely a whisper, tinged with sadness and anger. Why her tone held the latter emotion, Zachary did not know. But he was too occupied with apologizing for his intrusion on her privacy to take much notice. However, Serena smiled softly, waving her hand dismissively. "It's okay really." She nodded assuredly. "I know I'll never get over losing him, seeing as how he was a very big part of my life when he was alive. But I can't let one traumatic experience stop me from moving on. Know what I mean?"

            She looked over at Zachary and caught sight of a reminiscing look on his face. He walked in silence for a while and Serena waited patiently before he asked in a strangely, strangled voice, 

            "But how do you move on?"

            Serena stared at him, surprised, not by the question, but the immense sorrow behind it. Zachary looked so forlorn and her heart went out to him. She tugged thoughtfully at one of the pigtails she had braided her hair into that morning. Unbidden, she wondered who or what Zachary had lost. 

            "Well," She began unsurely. "I suppose it depends on the situation you're put in. In mine..." Her voice trailed off and Zachary once more caught sight of the dark look Serena donned when she thought no one was looking. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes as if forcing some memory out of her conscious. When she opened them, she gave a shaky laugh and answered, 

            "I found something." She said cryptically, smiling at him. "I found something that made me realize that life does go on; that there is so much to live for on this world that you just can't shut yourself out of it, thinking to yourself that the days are finished and life is done with or completely denying everything and basically detatching yourself from reality." Her smile had grown, shining almost as brightly as the sun that was shining down on them. She reached out and touched Zachary lightly on the shoulder, flashing him that hopeful and understanding smile and he haphazardly wondered just what that smile held back before those lips parted and said to him, "And I hope that you find whatever it is to help you move on with your life."

            He stopped where he was, rather stunned by her show of kindness and somehwat abashed that she was able to see deeper and further into his words and emotions. Somewhere in the reccesses of his mind, he was able to process a rather humming reverberation and it took him a few more seconds to figure out that they had reached the school. He then felt a small arm loop through his and looked down at the blonde at his side questioningly. She was still smiling.

            "What're you so jolly about?" She smirked.

            "You didn't catch your first, second, and third periods on the first day of school because you were '_late_'." She stated, placing a bit of sarcastic emphasis on late. This caused a rather goofy grin to spill onto the tall young man's face. Serena rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I'm here to escort you to your History class."

            Zachary scoffed. "For one thing, how do you know what my second period is and secondly, don't you have your own class to get to?

            Serena rolled her eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "_Chicos son muy estupidos_." (1)

            It took a while for the lightbulb to go off in Zachary's head and Serena smiled widely, leading him towards the gates of the school.

            "And here I thought you were one of the smarties."

            Zachary feigned hurt and Serena laughed. The two walked, arm in arm towards their History class.

            However, a pair of very pissed off violet eyes was presently glaring daggers at the girl who was currently laughing and carrying light conversation with her 'boyfriend', Zachy. Her blood-red nails were about to cut into her palm with the fists she was creating and fantasizing hurting that girl with. However, she felt a slight sting on her wrist and and bit back a growl sullenly. She cradled that wrist in her other hand as she had done yesterday in the bathroom when that psycho chick had walked out. It was bruising like crazy before lunch was even out. Today, the swelling had gone down somewhat but there was still a good-sized purple mark from where Serena had applied pressure to, draining the area of blood. She continued to scowl that their retreating backs, infuriated before a hand twisted over her shoulder. Startled, she turned to meet the gaze of the guy half of the girls in the school would give their right arm and left pinky for.

            "D-Dion!" Beryl mentally kicked herself. _'Calm_ _down girl. This is just the most popular guy at the school. Chill out. You never know what he could do for your reputation_.' Beryl suddenly turned aloof as she grinned coyly at the older teen before her. "Hey there."

            Dion smiled lazily and Beryl could've melted in his arms right then and there. He was so hot. His light, wine-colored bore into her lilac ones.

            "How're you doing, Beryl?"

            _'Oh my GOD! He just said my name!'_

            "Um..good." She said cooly. "You?"

            He shrugged, carelessly brushing aside a stray strand of white, slightly violet tinted hair. His eyes flicked over to the retreating couple that Beryl had been previously scowling at. A strange emotion filled up his eyes as he asked uncaringly (a little too uncaringly, Beryl would think later),

            "Who's the chick with your man?" Beryl lost all traces of euphoria since Dion came over to her and all feelings of resentment and anger towards the petite woman came rushing back.

            "She's some girl." Beryl said, growling lowly and not realizing it. She gave Dion a pointed look. "But don't even try it, Dion."

            Dion grinned up at her like a Cheshire cat, eyes twinkling iwth mischief.

            "Why Beryl, what _do_ you mean?"

            Beryl rolled her eyes, moving away from his reach and into the mass of students heading to their second period classes. She grimaced slightly as she realized that buffoon Lita would be in her Chemistry class. She focused at the topic at hand and gave Dion an exasperated look as she backed away,

            "Don't try any crap on her, Crystaal," She said warningly to the cheerful disposition. "She's Cartier's niece."

            Beryl walked away satisfied as the grin dropped and the eyes dulled at the additional piece of information.

            Dion glared at the redhead's back. He would've done it with her a long time ago if the bitch wasn't annoyingly attached to that Zachary what's-his-face. 

            Whatever.

            Dion Crystaal then moved away to go to his own class, a scheme cooking within the regions of his baleful mind.

~*chickay*~

(1) Boys are so stupid.

Short, yes, I know. Dissappointing, somewhat. But I'm trying to shake off my writer's block lately. Being in an English class that resembles my third grade Creative Writing sessions tends to turn my brain to shapeless mush. Anways, pretty please review. It really does make a person feel great knowing ya'll are out there cheering and loving this. So Review and read my other new fic, The Guardians uder my penname Dream Kiss. You won't be disappointed. Slightly confused, yes. But not disappointed…when I actually shape up and finish up the next chapters. Oh well. Read and Review people!


	7. Confrontations

A/N: You know, this story's moving awfully slow. But never fear for I shall persevere for my readers and major thank you's to everyone who's been reviewing. After this one, I plan to speed things up a lot more. Expect an update sometime this upcoming week or the next. I'm in a writing mood nowadays. It helps that the holidays are here! YAY! I love the holidays. The weather, the food, the family, the drama. The joy! Hehe. Well, here's the new chapter and I hope you guys enjoy! Review!

**Meus**** Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Confrontations

** Gasp**

"Oh my gosh…"

"No way!"

"Did I just enter some alternate reality?"

"What the hell…?"

"Is that really…?"

"Is she…?"

"Are they…?"

Ami glanced up from what she was writing at the sudden simultaneous chattering of her classmates. She glanced about, wondering what the fuss was about and her mouth dropped open when she saw. Serena was bravely assimilating the varied reactions of her classmates as she and Zachary strode in, arm-in-arm. 'Surprised' couldn't be a word to describe what she was feeling at that moment. And neither could 'amused'. No. A darker emotion had welded up from beneath her heart, bringing back unbidden memories she had thought she had locked away. Ami closed her eyes, shutting out the world and the poorly-concealed gossiping of her peers, slowly counting to ten to calm herself down.

It was in the past. There was no need for it to pop up again. So why the hell was she thinking about it now? Was it because they had walked in so carelessly…so naturally, like they were born to walk in step with each other? No! Why on earth would she care about them? Yes…why indeed?

"Ami?" Ami slowly opened her eyes to greet the lighter blue gaze of Serena's. She had a look of concern etched on her forehead as she looked at Ami. "Ami?" She repeated. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" _'Huh?' What kind of an answer is that?_' She thought to herself.

"You look like you were sick." Serena was explaining. "Your eyes were closed and you looked like you didn't get enough sleep last night."

Ami gave a small half-smile. "I could say the same for you." When Serena looked confused, Ami sighed and motioned to the seat next to her, which Serena took. "Hon, your eyes are red and puffy and sunk into your forehead." She said bluntly. "I think the really question here is, are you okay?"

Serena flushed, instinctively bringing a hand to her face at the mention of her sullen eyes. "I-It's not biggie." She insisted, twirling one of the two pigtails swinging down from her scalp between her fingers. "I just got through some…unexpected events."

Ami raised an eyebrow. "Since yesterday afternoon?"

Serena was about to reply when Mrs. Ether walked in, hair in disarray, the slip of her skirt visible for all the world to see and an armload of books and wrinkled papers stuck between folders.

"Good morning class!"

Serena and Ami straightened to look at the front of the class and Serena glanced at Zachary as he shot a short look at the guy sitting behind Serena. The poor guy shot up from his seat and Zachary gratefully propped down, a satisfied smirk on his face and his smile widened at Serena's shake of her head at his influence over the students. His eyes flicked over to the blue-haired young woman on the blonde's side. Ami brought up a hand to her side temple, partially blocking Zach's view of her face. Why was he doing this??

Mrs. Ether glanced about and immediately noticed the dangerously-charming-looking young man right behind Artemis Cartier's niece.

"Ah, Mister Monroe." Zachary gave a Cheshire grin and nodded in reply. Mrs. Ether noticed how students used shakes and nods of the head rather than actual words nowadays. Whatever happened to communication skills? You know: _words_. Now it was just nods, handshakes, grunts, and one-syllable equivalents. She shook her head slightly before adjusting her horn-rimmed glasses. Her eyes touched lightly on Ami Mizuno in the first row and she frowned in concern. The girl looked paler than usual and looked very disturbed about something. Hmm…It wasn't normal for the girl to be so fidgety. Ami was traditionally calm, cool, and collected. Mrs. Ether shrugged. _Teenagers._

The class went off without much of a hitch though Serena still felt the tension and heard the unasked questions lingering in the air like a knife dangling haphazardly from the ceiling. When the bell rang, Serena looked over her shoulder at the uncomfortable Ami and the seemingly relaxed Zachary. They were both supposed to come with her to their English class. The three hadn't gotten three steps away from their history class room when two guys popped up and nodded over at Zachary and began to talk to him. Serena linked an arm through Ami's and the two walked over to English. Serena had a feeling that Ami would probably prefer it that way since the blue-haired teen looked ready to hyperventilate or something like it.

Mina, Rei, and Lita were already in the classroom and the two sat down with their friends, carrying on friendly conversation. Serena noticed that Rei seemed in much of a better mood than the day before and brought it up. Rei's face lit up and she smiled.

"Actually, I'm feeling a thousand times better than I was yesterday." The raven-haired beauty admitted, grinning nonstop. "When I got home," she was saying. "It just so happens that Kaidou was there…"

Mina made a face and asked, "Kaidou?

Rei returned the blond with one of her own looks. "Yeah. Anyways," she continued. "It just so happens that he's also going to that party I was telling you about earlier? You know the one I'm being forced into going? Yeah. Well, he offered to be my escort for the night."

Lita smiled brightly. "Oh wow. That's great Rei!"

"Thanks." Rei said. Turning to Serena, she said, "Kaidou works with my dad." She gave a roll of her eyes and said, "_Politics_." with enormous distaste. "But he's a great guy. He's barely twenty now."

Serena laughed and raised an eyebrow. "I take it you like him."

A rose-flush crept up on Rei's face and she nodded, smiling nonstop. The others snickered teasingly though Serena noticed how Minako's seemed strained. Her uncle walked into the room and students went over to their seats. They were discussing a book that hey had been required to read over the summer, Wuthering Heights. Artemis was truly fascinating when he taught. Serena's uncle had a somewhat dangerously charismatic air to him and he described the doomed love of Heathcliff for Catherine and the class eventually got into a discussion over how Catherine's strive for social prestige was apparently stronger than her love for Heathcliff. Artemis could've been a politician, Serena mused. He would've made the Cartier line proud with his skills. Serena wondered if her uncle ever thought how his life would and could be if he had stayed in France instead of marrying Luna.

_He'd be richer, that's for sure_. She thought bitterly. _But I doubt he'd be anywhere near as cruel as-_

"Miss Sinclair!" Serena and several others gave a small startled jump in their seats and people turned to the back of the room to see Beryl blushing crazily and Artemis looking pissed. In silence that you could've heard a feather drop, Artemis' heels clicked as he walked down the column, an unusually loud and constant clicking in the silent room on the white tiles. He reached Beryl's seat and held out a hand at the girl sitting next to Beryl, Gina. He didn't even have to ask or demand anything as Gina relinquished a folded piece of paper to his open palm. Artemis gave both of the girls a sharp look.

"Would you girls care to explain to me the destructive results of the unchanging love between Heathcliff and Catherine?"

Both girls shook their heads though Beryl did so with a defiant pout on her lips and Gina just looked ashamed. Artemis nodded thoughtfully.

"I figured you wouldn't since that's what I've been going over while you're busy exchanging the headline gossip of the day." It didn't sound as if he was angry or he was even reprimanding them. "Which is why both of you will write me a five paragraph essay on that topic of destruction by love due next class."

Beryl's jaw dropped open and she was about to say something but Artemis spoke first while a soft, clear, and subtly dangerous tone.

"Something you'd like, Beryl?" The redhead promptly shut her trap. Artemis smiled lightly with satisfaction and went on with his lecture of the importance of the social classes in the time period of the seventeen hundreds to the eighteen hundreds. He had a habit of doing that, everyone knew. If you weren't paying attention or doing something else while he was talking, you were pretty much screwed over 'cause he saw everything that went on in his classroom. When the bell rang, Ami said that she couldn't make it to lunch with them that day.

"They're holding a meeting for everyone who wants to join up for the swim team." She explained.

"That's wonderful Ames." Mina said happily. "So you've decided to join, eh?"

Ami smiled and nodded her head. "They've got try-outs tomorrow so I'm going to see what else I need to take care of."

They waved their good-byes to Ami and the four headed over to their regular spot for lunch. Lita glanced around.

"Hey," She started. "Where's Zachary?"

"Oh," Serena started. "He said he was going over to the swim meeting this morning."

Rei and the others exchanged a look but the subject was dropped.

"Hey," Rei piped up a few minutes later. "Listen guys. Sei asked earlier if we wanted to go out on Friday night over at his club."

Mina's eyes lit up and Lita smiled widely. "That's great!" "Awesome."

Rei turned to Serena. "What about you, Serena?"

Serena gave a sheepish smile. "Are you sure we'd be allowed to?"

"Well, you're at least sixteen right?"

"I'm seventeen…"

"Then it's not big deal." Rei assured her. "I know the bouncers plus, Sei did invite us so what do you say?"

Serena laughed and nodded. "Of course. I'd love to."

"Great." Rei said with an air of finality. "Ami already said she'd talk it over with her mom."

A small smile had begun to spread on Mina's face. "Hey, what do you guys think about inviting Zach to the club, too?"

Rei was obviously surprised at the idea and thought about it over quickly. A wicked smile began to spread on her face as well until it mirrored Mina's. "You know," She began slyly. "That isn't a bad idea. Not at all."

Lita raised an eyebrow and asked. "You sure about this guys?"

Rei nodded with an air of definiteness. "Yes. If something's up with them then they need to get it together or at least talk."

"And the way they're dogging each other or avoiding certain conflicts," Mina was saying calculatingly. "They're not going to be talking to each other in meaningful conversation in a long time."

Rei turned to Serena. "Do you think you could invite him?"

Serena nodded, smiling widely. "Sure thing. I'm sure he'll be happy to go."

As they sat there, talking happily amongst each other, Serena realized that she was really beginning to like these girls. Three days of school and already she was being readily accepted by many other people at school. People received her as very being very friendly and sweet. The only hitch in her mood was Beryl. The girl was positively glaring daggers through Serena's skull during English, like it was Serena's fault Beryl got in trouble. As if.

Serena glanced at her watch much later on and found that it was almost time for classes to start. She excused herself, saying she needed to get out something from her locker and she was gone. As she walked around the scarce, hollowed halls of New Moon, Serena looked up ahead and saw Beryl standing the middle of the hallway with a couple of her groupies. Serena sighed, preparing herself for whatever would come. Beryl saw her coming and glared as she came, positioning herself right in front of Serena's way. The blond gave an exasperated sigh and slowed to a stop.

"What do you want Beryl?" She asked tiredly. Beryl's scowl deepened and Serena was suddenly thinking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the vampires when they go into their vamp mode. She was smart enough to know not to say it aloud.

"I want you," Beryl pointed a finger at Serena. "To leave Zachary the hell alone."

Serena raised an eyebrow, amused. "Funny, 'cause he waits for me in the mornings and talks to me constantly that I honestly thought we were friends!" Sarcasm laced her every word and only added to the fury slowly churning in Beryl. Her hand shifted to look like she wanted to straggle the blond but then she noticed the bruise that Serena had caused and thought better of it. "Stay away from him." She hissed dangerously. "He's mine."

"Funny." Serena said. "I was under the impression that a person doesn't belong to anyone else." She smiled cheerily as she prodded on. "But then again, that was just my understanding of the United States Constitution; you know the one about a person's liberties and rights to freedom and all that fun stuff."

Serena wanted to laugh. Beryl's enraged face with a vein dangerously throbbing on her forehead would've made a baby cry out but Serena just wanted to laugh. Before Beryl could say anything, however, a tall young man stepped into the situation.

"Beryl," He cooed. "You really ought to keep that temper of yours in check."

If it was anyone else other than Dion, Beryl would've probably lashed out. But she only flushed in humiliation as Dion flashed a smile hat had been known to charm 90% of the female population in New Moon Academy. Sadly for him, however, Serena was among that residual 10%. She met his gaze head on and he was almost startled by her cautious look and realized he had probably already heard of him. Then again, with his reputation, who hadn't? He kept up his smile and made a way through Beryl's blocking buddies in the hallway for Serena.

"Hey. I'm Dion." Serena nodded, not moving.

"Serena Cartier." She said. "And yes, I'm Artemis Cartier's niece. Thank you." She said quickly before he could try to get into a conversation with him. Swiftly, she power walked through the walkway he had made for her without looking back. Dion was actually speechless. He, like any guy with an ego the size of Texas, was obviously at a loss for words since he still did not understand why he could not get any girl when it had worked so many times before.

"Told you." Beryl derided as she glared at the small, pigtailed back.

"Shut up Beryl." He growled.

Serena didn't glance back at them at any point. She knew what they were probably talking about. She knew Dion's type. She knew how they operated. Her knuckles tightened on her satchel. And she'd be damned if she fell for it again. Serena figured Zachary was sort of the type: The heartbreaking ones wanting something more. But the girl had a feeling that there was much more to her new male companion than what met the eye.

Speaking of Zachary, Serena could hear his voice in the hallway and jogged up a little. She was about to call out but Ami's voice stopped her dead in her tracks before she could say anything.

"-Zachary, leave me alone." Ami was begging. Serena glanced around the corner, guilt slowly accumulating at the pits of her stomach. She didn't like to eavesdrop but she somehow knew that she shouldn't try to interrupt. Ami was speaking to Zachary and she was looking exhausted over something. Zachary had a look of determination on her frowning face as he looked at Ami.

"_Please_." The desperation in her voice, especially the last word, Serena saw, struck at his core and she saw his face flinch with hurt for a moment before it went back to being stoic as ever.

"No." He said it so plainly, like a stubborn child refusing to share, with an air of finality that told Ami nothing she could say would change his mind. His persistence flared up Ami's exasperation.

"And why the hell not?" She demanded with a temper that was rarely shown. Serena was surprised at the outburst and Zachary took a menacing step towards her and she took a step back only to align her back with the wall. He towered over her by a good few inches but she continued to glare at him with insubordinate eyes of a cornered soldier refusing to admit defeat.

"Because," His silky voice sent shivers down Ami's spine and she drew in a shaky breath as his face came closer to hers and she turned her face away from his. However, this movement only served to expose her swanlike neck and he moved in, his breath tickling the sensitive skin of her neck and ear. "We both know that something happened between us this summer—"

"Wrong!" She hissed, keeping her voice down and glancing about for any stray students and Serena quickly ducked behind the wall. To Ami, the hallway was completely empty. She turned her head to face him dead-on, sapphire blue clashing with emerald green. "Nothing happened between us." Her voice suddenly became threatening and her eyes glinted dangerously. "And if you tell everyone otherwise, I will—"

"'Otherwise'?" Zachary's face twisted into disgust and he stepped back from Ami as if she slapped him. "What the hell do you mean by 'otherwise'?" He demanded. "You think I'm going to spread around crap to ruin your reputation just because you're trying to ignore me?"

"Gee," Ami said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let me think…Hell yeah!"

"Then you know shit about me!" Zachary all but shouted angrily.

They stood where they were for a while, faces flushed, hearts racing, anger and bitterness etched on their usually beautiful features. Serena could feel the electricity sparking in the air with the emotions that were going haywire. Despite the fact that this was only the third day of school, she was beginning to feel as if she had known these people her whole life but these were sides to sweet people she never thought she'd see. Ami brought a shaky hand to her forehead, trying to tug at the headache she was getting and Zachary paced about in front of her, pushing back his golden locks in frustration.

"Why do you keep trying to bring it all back?" She pleaded softly, defeated. Ami was tired of it, fighting with him and she said so. "I'm sick of having to deal with your dramatics all this time. It's bad enough I have you for like very single class but when you try to keep bringing back this summer…?"

"Why are you trying to forget it?" Zachary retorted.

"Because there's nothing to remember." Ami said firmly. "We were there together by complete coincidence and nothing more." She continued defiantly. "Quite frankly, you and I were the only ones under twenty and over thirteen. And it wasn't like there was anything else we could do so why don't we just…" She made a helpless motion with her hands. "Drop it.

Ami sighed tiredly while Zachary scrutinized her where she stood.

"Why haven't you told your friends?" Ami glanced at him, surprise slowly filling her features. It was such a simple question yet she knew the answer was complicated, at least in her case. She shook her head slowly, eyes on the ground.

"They wouldn't understand." She said softly.

"How do you know that?" Ami glanced at him and then tilted her head against the wall so that she was staring at the ceiling.

"I grew up with them." She said shortly, smiling in remembrance of her companions. They were the greatest friends a girl could have. "Everyone's always dealing with one crisis or other." She continued and shrugged. "Why should I bother them with my problems?"

"Because they're your friends." Ami snapped over at his simple, rationalized answer. And worse, she realized, it was true. Zachary shrugged at her look. "I was under the impression that friends are those that look out for you, listen to your pointless rants and encourage you to do and be who and whatever you want." He gave a whimsical smile. "Then again, what would I know? I'm surrounded by fawning bimbos that only want to increase their social status and hated by much of the male population at school although about ninety percent of them don't want to cause any trouble with me 'cause they're scared."

Ami couldn't hide the smile or the laugher that followed it. Ami opened her laughing eyes to see Zachary studying her. "What?"

He shook his head. "I just got a sense of dejavu." He replied, a faraway look on his face. "We've done this before."

Ami nodded, a trace of a wistful smile still on her face. "This summer."

Serena toyed with one of her pigtails. Secrets seemed to be a big thing at this school.

_Then again_, she snorted softly so no one could hear, _who was she to criticize others of hiding_? The loud bell rung to signify it was time to go to their sixth periods of the day and the blaring suppressed Serena's startled gasp and broke the comfortable silence between the odd couple she was just listening in on. She turned the corner casually, as if she had just entered the scene. Almost immediately, both of their attitudes changed. Ami's reminiscing face was suddenly swallowed by a huge smile. Zachary plastered the carefree grin that Serena had grown to notice that he did when he was obscuring something.

"Hey guys!" She called out cheerfully. The two called out their own greetings and Serena linked an arm through Ami's and chatted happily, alternating between the two.

Not a breath was spoken of the confrontations that had just occurred. It occurred to Serena that, perhaps, it was much better that way.

**chickay**

Yay! I'm done. And it's 5:30 in the morning. Saturday! Ok, so now review and encourage me to get off my slacking booty! I notice that some of my characters are a lot different but oh well. And don't worry NephlitexLita Fans! He'll turn up real soon.


	8. Prequel to the Twilight

A/N: Hola! Told you I was gonna update soon. Granted, I was somewhat disappointed with the amount of reviews I got last time but I thank everyone that did so. BTW, I changed the conversation between Rei, Mina, and Serena in the third chapter and I'm just going to stick with 'Lita' now instead of Mako/Makoto. I'm going to be making a lot editing changes to beware the updates. Alright folks, here's the next one coming right at you. We're gonna try to move a little faster now cause I'm sort of tired of writing this story and the first week of school isn't even over yet in the story. So I'm gonna pick up the pace and, if you haven't noticed, I changed the summary for the story cause I think I wanna focus on everyone's stories but it'll have a strong centered theme on Serena, promise. Now, I'm going to try it from everyone else's POV. 

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Prequel to the Twilight

            Ami was already up by the time her alarm clock went off. She gave a small start at the sharp ringing but reached over and shut the damn thing off before it could do her ears anymore damage. Her bed was already made and she even had time to reorganize her messy desk so that you could actually see the white surface of the table that was usually concealed by layers of papers and notebooks. It was a habit of hers; to clean up and tidy around when she was nervous. And boy, was she nervous at that moment. Today was the day of the swimming try-outs and her arms suddenly ached at the thought of her laps yesterday. (A/N: I don't know crap about swimming or sports or try-outs so just nod your head and go along with it.) A figure crept up at her doorway without her noticing until she spoke up.

            "Hey Mili?" The woman at the door gave a smile of amusement at seeing the younger girl nearly jump out of her skin. She chuckled. "Sorry for startling you."

            Ami gave a weak smile at the old nickname, short for Amilia, and shook her head, giving a sheepish smile. "Haha. No big, Michi. You just caught me off guard."

            Michelle Mizuno (a.k.a. the great artist and musician Michiru Kaioh, her stage name), her older sister, gave her a small smile and brushed aside a stray marine tuff away from her hair. Her bright blue eyes were almost identical to Ami's, a trait they shared from their mother. She was tall, with a slender figure that was toned and developed thanks to her hours spent swimming. "Nervous?"

            She laughed when her little sister gave a helpless smile and nodded dismayingly. She walked over to the girl, her waves bouncing until she was right in front of her, squatting to her level. "Don't be." She said reassuringly. "You're awesome out there and Johansen would be an idiot to not let you on the team."

            Mrs. Johansen was the dedicated swim coach and Michelle was under her care back when she was a student at New Moon years ago. Ami took in the huge white, button-down shirt and short hot pants Michelle was wearing. She reached out for Michelle's wrist and turned it over to see a blend of violet and green and yellow patched on her skin. Ami gave her sister an exasperated look and Michelle laughed, a tiny sweatdrop on her forehead.

            "My muse likes to pop in at odd hours." Ami rolled her eyes at the artist. Michelle had a habit of springing up at random hours just to either compose her music or draw up a sketch of her next masterpiece.

            "I'm sure." Michelle giggled and pulled her sister to her feet.

            "Come on. I've got breakfast on the table." Ami followed her throughout Michelle's penthouse suite. Ami had spent considerable time at Michelle's, since their mother was constantly at work and the fridge there wasn't very reliable. Their parents had divorced when Ami was barely five and their father had gone up north to Montana or some state like it. He called every so often and the only thing reliable about him was the paintings he sent his daughters on their birthdays. While both girls resented their father for not being there for them, Michelle didn't complain about her gift of the arts at all. After graduating from college, she pursued her artistic dreams with incredible success. Galleries displayed her work by the dozens and her concerts were always sold out.

            "Um, Michi?" Michelle nodded distractedly, watching the food on the stove. "I'm going to a club tomorrow night." Ami said. Michelle raised an eyebrow at this and Ami pouted. "What? You don't think I can go out and have fun like a regular teenager?"

            Michelle laughed and shook her head. "It's not that Mili." She paused and then shrugged. "Well, it is—but not like that." She hurriedly said when Ami began to look annoyed. "It's just...a change. But a good one, mind you. You need to get out every now and then. Get a tan or something." She smirked, glancing at Ami's pale, ivory skin. She grasped the pitcher and began to pour into one of the tall glasses.

            "So who's going with you?"

            "Well, it'll be me, Mina, Rei, Lita, and that new girl I was telling you about, Serena." Michelle nodded at her approval of the names that Ami ticked off with her mind. Her face twisted into one of discomfort as she said, "And Rei also invited this one guy-" 

            Michelle's face snapped towards her sister, an evilly sly smile on her face at the tone of Ami's voice. "Who?"

            The smile only widened at the growing shifting discomfort of the younger girl. She waved the topic aside but they both knew that the subject would be brought up later on. Ami switched the subject to her.

            "What about you? What are you doing tomorrow night?" Michelle turned to the stove and brought out the food before answering.

            "Well, Haruka's back in town for once," She said, enormous exasperation in the last two words. Haruka was her best friend and all but she really ought o at least call or write every so often. 

            Ami giggled. "I heard." She said, recalling what Rei had mentioned when she had gone with Mina and Serena to the Aino household. "How long has she been away again?" She wondered aloud.

            "Too long." Michelle laughed. "About a little over a year, I think?"

            Surprise lit up Ami's face. "Really? Hmm. I could've sworn that she was in town just a few months ago."

            Michelle suddenly gave a nervous laugh and shook her head. "Nope. She's been gone for quite a while and she and I are going out tomorrow night. We're going downtown and either shopping or catching a movie… What?"

            Michelle had turned to Ami and was surprised at the confused glance on her face.

            "Didn't she tell you?" Michelle frowned.

            "Who?"

            "Haruka." Ami said bluntly. "Didn't she tell you about tomorrow night…?"

            "No…" Michelle began cautiously, watching Ami with calculating blue eyes. "What about tomorrow?"

            Ami eyed her sister curiously. Was she joking? The seriousness in the older woman's eyes was her answer. She licked her lips and said, "Haruka's giving us a ride tomorrow night. To the club."

            Michelle's bright eyes turned dim and she froze where she was, stunned. Her brows were frozen in confusion and something resembling anger. No, it wasn't anger. Apprehension? Fear? Wait, why could Michelle be scared of something? Michelle suddenly shook herself out of her own gaze and shakily took up the glass nearest to her and poured it down her throat. Ami watched her sister's sudden change of emotions and watched as she poured another glass.

            "What club are you going to?" Michelle's voice was shaky and sounded almost threatening. Ami was almost afraid to answer for fear of what Michelle might do.

            Almost. "Club Twilight."

            Michelle spilled the orange juice she was pouring and she quickly muttered a curse underneath her breath. She turned to face her sister and Ami was startled with the rare emotion in her face. 

            "M-Michi?" Her sister looked absolutely livid, an emotion that she thought the calm and serene Michelle could never be. "What's wrong?"

            Michelle stared at Ami for a second with an unreadable on her features before she shook her head, dispelling thoughts from her head and coming back to reality. "N-Nothing." She muttered hastily. "Nothing." The toaster rang and Michelle practically sprinted to it, escaping the discussion. "Here you go, Mili.' She said, brandishing out the toast and avoiding her sister's eyes.

            "Michi…" Michelle gave her sister a small smile at her concerned tone but shook her head.

            "Don't worry about it, Mili." She said reassuring. "Just eat up and make sure to kick everyone else out of that pool."

            And the subject was dropped. Throughout the day, Ami was noticeably distracted. The fact that she had Zachary in every class didn't even seem to bother her in the least. Before she knew it, the final bell had rung and students were flooding out of the school. After carefully avoiding any physical confrontations with Beryl and her bimbo brigade during the school day, Serena met up with everyone else at the school pool. Ami was already in the pool and Serena walked over with the others in the bleachers. Ami tilted her head into the water, relishing the cool comfort as it seeped though her hair. She loved the feel of it. Other students were coming in, Zachary among them. A certain group of girls were already screaming their support for him, Beryl not among them. The feisty redhead believed that she spent enough time at school and anymore more time in there would be too much. Ami spotted her friends and waved back as they cheered. And the try-outs began. 

            "Oh my…" Minako smiled proudly at Serena's gasp, her eyes watching the swift, smooth splashing that was cutting through the pool's water at the speed of a shark. 

            "She's great isn't she?" Lita mused. More than half of the racers were still try to get to the other side while Ami was halfway back to the starting position.

            "She's amazing." Rei said, watching her friend racing to and fro. Another set of constant splashing caught the brunette's attention and she began to notice a new racer who was gradually gaining speed on their blue-haired friend.

            "Whoa." Mina breathed. "Zach's good."

            "He's inhuman, that's what he is." Lita retorted with awe as Zachary struck through the water like a knife cutting through hot butter. Ami herself was surprised at the blonde torpedo that was slowly gaining speed with every stroke and kick. She frowned and sped up, arms rushing forward, legs kicking furiously. Zachary noticed this, too and sped up. The girls sitting at the bleachers all had sweatdrops forming on their foreheads, watching the two jetting the length of the pool back and forth, all their other exhausted opponents forgotten.

            It was only each other; the two entwined in a fierce competition for territory and prowess that only they possessed. So it was no surprise that both of the two got on the team. Mrs. Johansen beamed at Ami and smacked her back roughly that she should've to the petite girl. "Keep it up, Mizuno." She winked. "With your skills, you might soon beat your sister's record."

            Ami blushed furiously at the high praise while others congratulated her on her win. 

            "Let's head over to the Arcade to celebrate!" Mina suggested as the girls, plus Zachary were walking out of the school.

            "And how does your brokeness plan to pay for it all?" Mina waved a hand dismissively, grinning maniacally.

            "Details. Details." She said carelessly. She looped one arm through a sweatdropping Ami and a laughing Zachary. It was strange for Zachary. He had been close with Jaden, Mina's brother several years ago, but he wasn't very close with the girl. He hadn't even cast the group a second glance up till now. And yet, he felt incredibly amazed at this incredible friendship that he had managed to stumble into. As they were heading out of the school, Zach felt a light buzzing in his pocket. He excused himself from a conversation he was having with Lita and answered it.

            "Hello?" Zachary's face smile slowly dissipated only to be replaced by a hard scowl. He turned so that his voice was lower but Ami still heard. "…What? …Again? ...But…" He suddenly gave an exasperated sigh. "Okay. I'll be there in a few."

            He shut his phone with an audible click and the girls all turned to him inquiringly. He gave a small, innocent shrug but his tensed body language revealed more than what he was letting on. "Sorry ladies." He apologized. "But I have to run."

            "Oh, c'mon Zach!" Serena said. "It'll be fun. Plus, it's on us."

            "Yeah!" Mina, Rei, and Lita chorused. Zachary laughed but shook his head.

            "Sorry girls. It's an emergency." He waved to them and was gone.

            "Hmmm…" Rei mused. "I wonder what that was about."

            "You heard him." Lita said flippantly. "It was an emergency." She turned to the others. "Now what about that celebration you were talking about?"

            They laughed and everyone started to walk over to the Arcade. Sadly, Lizzie was nowhere in sight; she had some classes that day but the girls all had fun pigging out anyways. As they were sharing gossip and stories, a silver BMW rolled up in front of the Arcade. A familiar shade of marine hair bobbed through the sliding doors and singled out a certain, dark-head genius from the group. Ami suddenly felt two soft hands creep up from behind her and clasp over her eyes. She gave a small gasp of surprise and, in doing so, inhaled a certain familiar scent. The hands around her eyes were somewhat wrinkled but soft like blankets. They gave off a dreamy smell of chlorine and clay and tempera paints. 

            She giggled. "Hey Michi."

            Michelle laughed, throwing her arms around her younger sibling. She smiled widely. "I take it you got in?"

            Ami laughed with her, nodding her head enthusiastically. Michelle gave a small squeal and hugged her sister tightly. Ami hugged her back from her position in front of Michelle and turned to Serena. "Serena, this is my sister, Michelle. Michi, this is Serena." 

            Michelle gave a friendly smile in greeting to the blonde and went around the table greeting her sister's friends. From outside the Arcade, a motorcycle whirled into place with Haruka perched on top. Michelle muttered something underneath her breath and turned back to Ami.

            "Want a lift to the apartment?" Ami nodded and Michelle gave something that looked like a strained smile. "Great. I just need to talk over something with Haruka so just take up your stuff and we'll be on our way."

            Michelle was already gone out of the Arcade before Ami could nod her consent. Lita made a face.

            "I wonder what that was about." Mina gave a shrug, watching Michelle and Haruka start talking outside.

            "I have no idea." She sighed. "Haruka's been acting very strange lately."

            "Do you think we'll be acting weird like that when we get to college?" Rei mused aloud. "Sei's been going whacko for some reason the other night."

            Ami raised an eyebrow of concern. "You, too? Michelle seemed so upset this morning for no reason." She shrugged, swirling the tips of her short-cut hair. "Have you guys noticed that our older siblings have been a little…off?"

            Rei smirked. "Maybe it's a college thing."

            Serena glanced about and shrugged. "My brother's normal." She offered.

            The others smiled and giggled at the abrupt comment. 

            "Well," Ami sighed, picking up her bag. "I have to get home. Thanks for the food you guys and I'll see you tomorrow!"

            The others waved their good-byes and Ami stepped out to the front of the Arcade. Michelle and Haruka were engaged in a conversation and neither looked very chirpy.

            "…Haruka, you're making a mistake." Michelle was saying hastily.

            "I've made more before." The blonde said carelessly. "What difference does now make?"

            "It makes a difference now because you said that you were over this. You said it was done with."

            "And it is." Haruka said reassuringly. "So what's the big deal?"

            Michelle gave an exasperated sigh. "Ruka, you and I both know that you coming back-"

            "Hey Ami." Haruka suddenly spoke up, grinning widely at the blushing, unintentionally eavesdropping teenager. Haruka then turned to Michelle. "Great. Glad we talked over this." She then made her way past the Mizuno siblings and headed to the Arcade. "I'm here to pick up Mina. I'll see you both tomorrow night!"

            Michelle had opened her mouth to say something but shut it when Haruka simply walked on through, the sliding doors closing behind her back, providing as a translucent barrier between the friends. Michelle gave a semi-frustrated sigh and shook her head. She opened up the car and Ami followed her lead.

            "I won't go if you'd rather I not." Michelle glanced at Ami for a second before refocusing on the road ahead of her.

            "What?"

            "I won't go to the club tomorrow if you don't want me to." Ami repeated. Michelle gave her an incredulous look.

            "Now why on earth do you say that?"

            "Weren't you just arguing with Haruka about tomorrow night?" Ami asked, confused. Michelle shook her head, giving a tired sigh.

            "Ami…" She paused, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "It has nothing to do with you, Mili." She said reassuringly. "It's just that we were…discussing some important details. Nothing to worry about."

            The subject was dropped. 

            The next night, Ami found herself in front of her mirror, looking over at her outfit critically. She had chosen a pale blue off-the-shoulder sleeves that went three quarters along the lengths of her arms. She had decided to wear a white skort that came mid-thigh and baby blue heels adorned her feet that laced up with ribbons around her calves. She put on two, luminescent shell, hair clips, pinning her hair away from her face. She was just putting on her earrings when Michelle came over to tell her that Haruka had arrived. Michelle was wearing a spaghetti-strapped tank of several hues of blue and green, her ocean of wavy hair piled high on her head, decorated with glitter. She wore white capris that showed off her sandals and she clutched her purse in one hand. She smiled at her sister.

            "Ready?" Ami shrugged somewhat helplessly.

            "As I'll ever be." Michelle giggled and looped her arm through Ami's, leading her out of the house and down the elevator to the front of the building, where a familiar sports car awaited them. Ami inhaled the sweet smell of the night, bracing herself. She had a funny feeling, as she scooted into the car, that this would be a very interesting night.

**~*chickay*~**

Yeah…this chapter was somewhat pointless but at least I got that out of the way. I put in some foreboding up in here too if some of you can interpret it. In any case, Chapter 9 is coming out soon since I've already started it. Happy Turkey Day to everyone!


	9. Up in the Club I

A/N: HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE! You know, I'm probably gonna try to put on one update per month but don't get your hopes up high. I'm incredibly lazy and the fact that I have homework that I should do is evidence of that. Well, this chapter is incredibly long so I'm splitting it in two. Unfortunately, my computer is dying for some inexplicable reason so I'm only going to download one portion tonight otherwise I'm afraid it'll crash. I'll try to download the seoncd part tomorrow morning 'cause I have to go study (During break? I know what you mean. My teacher's didn't. But I do.). I'm doing this chapter in just about everyone's POV and skipping from one event to another. I really want to speed up this story. So help out and REVIEW!!

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Up in the Club (I)

            "You sure you don't mind?"

            "What's wrong?"         

            "Nothing…"

            "But..?"

            "Nothing, really. It's just that I could've ridden with Haruka instead of with you."

            "Of course I don't mind." Seiya said admonishingly. "You're my sister. Plus, I don't think Haruka can fit all of you in that car of hers." He seemed to hesitate for a moment then asked. "By the way, are you really going to that party tomorrow night with that Kaitou guy?"

            Rei gave an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes at the mention of the party. "Of course I am! And will you stop making it sound like I'm making a mistake here?" She demanded, getting annoyed. "I'm getting enough bad vibes about it from Mina."

            "Smart girl." Seiya muttered. Sadly for him, Rei had very good hearing…and a good arm. "Ow!" He winced. "You know we could swerve off the road because you."

            Rei rolled her eyes carelessly. "Boys are such babies."

            "Even Kaitou?" Seiya teased. After all the man was only a year older than Sei's 21 years. The man was next in line in their father's footsteps. Sei should've been but certain…circumstances prevented that. Not that Sei was complaining. Rei blushed furiously and settled for glaring at him from her passenger seat, realizing that another punch to his arm could wind them up in the hospital. She tugged at her red, backless tank top, absentmindedly thinking it was longer the last time she wore it. Thankfully, her white pants still fit snugly on her figure. She then focused her attention on her teasing brother. 

            "Kaitou is not a boy." Seiya rolled his eyes at Rei's insistent tone. "He is a _gentleman._"

            "And I'm Barbie." He muttered sarcastically.

            "You always did have a fascination with dolls." Rei retorted dryly. Seiya mocked an arrow hitting his heart.

            "That hurts baby sister. And, for your information, it was a female action figure." He corrected haughtily. Rei gave an unladylike snort and rolled her eyes.

            "Yeah." Rei agreed teasingly. "With a dream house."

            They continued to argue good-heartedly until they pulled up to the club. Seiya took Rei by the arm and two went around to the backdoor. Already, people were lining against the walls to hopefully get into the club and the siblings pushed their way to the front, Seiya hovering over her protectively. Seiya gave a mere nod of acknowledgement at the two bouncers holding off the crowds and they made a way for him. Rei glanced at the huge mass surrounding the entrances of the club and the intimidating bouncers at stood by the doorways with expressions that were as impassive as those of those guards in Britain but more muscle than furry hats. How on earth were the others supposed to get through? Seiya sensed her worry and smiled as the door behind him slammed shut.

            "Don't worry." He said reassuringly. "I already put in their names on the list and they'll be able to get in with no problem."

            Rei smiled back and nodded. Seiya was leading her to the bar now. She could make out a tall man behind the bar, putting on a show of twirling and juggling drinks before audiences. He had a charming face, very friendly and somewhat…a romantic flare. He had long, russet hair that waved down half-way down his back, tied at the nape of his neck to stay out of his way and dark blue eyes that pretty much drew you in for the kill. Seiya smiled and cut into the man's show, clasping hands with him and then gesturing to Rei to come forward.

            "Hey man, this is my little sister, Rei." Seiya turned to Rei. "Rei, this is Nicholas Anza. He's one of our bartenders. Nick, any drinks ordered by her or her friends are on the house, okay?"

            Nick laughed. "Sure thing, boss."

            Seiya smiled and planted a kiss on Rei's forehead before leaving to attend to his duties. Rei glanced around the club, taking in everything. It was still a bit early but people were already flooding in. A soft smile of pride touched Rei's face. Seiya had really done well with the place. Even despite what their contradictive father had said about his ventures, Seiya had certainly proved him wrong by establishing one of, if not the, most hottest club in the entire town.

            "Great place, huh?" Rei turned around and nodded at Nicholas. He gestured over for her to sit and she complied, grabbing one of the stools in front of him. "Your brother and his friends have really turned this place around."

            Rei beamed. Her brother totally kicked ass. "Yes, they have. This place was a dump before they started renovations." Her nose wrinkled as she thought of the building B. T. (Before Twilight). Rei shuddered. It wasn't pretty. Mold and rats and walls looking ready like they were going to crack with one more pigeon flew into the building. She had even scoffed at the idea of turning the place around but the trio had proven her wrong. She then turned her attention to Nick. "How long have you been working here? I don't remember you since the last time I was here."

            "About a little over five months." Nick replied after calculating. "But I'm just doing this as a cash flow while I'm studying…"

            Rei talked to him for a while. He seemed pretty nice and sincere and a charming personality. Rei watched Nick deliver a set of drinks to a couple of girls on the other end of the bar. She quirked her lips in amusement as she noticed that those girls hadn't even touched the drinks he had previously sent over. Looks like she wasn't the only who noticed just how attractive he was. Nick was studying to be an astronomer as a nearby university and fell into a conversation involving the theories of predestination and fate and contraries to those theories. Rei had been at the bar, talking and amusingly having a good time conversation with Nick for half an hour until she noticed her friends (finally!) enter the club. As expected, she was able to pinpoint their arrival with their newest companion. 

~*~

            Serena's silvery-blonde mane caught the blinking lights of the club, the beams of artificial light creating halo effects that enriched her already mystic-looking exterior. Naturally she stuck out well enough for Rei to single her out. She stepped away from the bar and moved to her friends. As she made her way to them, she noticed that Serena's long hair was pulled into a high ponytail, wearing a silvery halter-top that dove to the depths below at the front. A silver armlet was laced around her upper arm and bracelets dangled from her wrists. A chain rattled softly in comparison to the booming music of the club at the girl's waist, the belt strung around her curvaceous body atop her black pants. Elaborate earrings dangled from her ears, swinging about as Serena looked through the mass of people in search for Rei. By her side was Mina in a …_bra_?

            What the..?

            As Rei got closer, she realized that it was a tube top but it might as well have been a bright blue, strapless bra. An orange flicker of her belly ring flashed occasional in the light stroke right above her low-rising jeans that had a crisscross pattern at the side seams that showed over a bit of her skin. 

            "Took you long enough!" Rei laughed, hugging her friends in greeting. The tall, blonde female behind the teens rolled her eyes, replying,

            "We would've gotten here sooner if _someone_," Haruka glared at her little sister. "Hadn't insisted on trying six different outfits."  
            "As if," Mina retorted, waving a dismissive hand airily. "If the speed demon over here wasn't trying to get us killed by trying to cut in front of every single god-damned car then we would've gotten here faster without that wonderful interruption from the nice officer who gave her the ticket."

            The sarcasm in Mina's voice made Rei laugh. Michelle and Haruka excused themselves and the teens were left on their own. Rei turned and led her friends back to the bar. Nick just handed a drink to someone and caught her eye. 

            "Hey Rei," He looked over her shoulder at the others. "These your friends?"

            Rei smiled and nodded, turning to her friends and passing around the introduction. "Girls, this is Nick. Nick, this is Serena, the blonde's Mina, then that's Ami, and Lita."

            "Nice to meet you." Nick said, flashing them a warm smile. Lita suddenly felt a lump at her throat as her heart seemed to skip a beat. Ami noticed and turned towards her tall companion.

            "Lita?" She questioned, concerned. "Are you okay?"

            Ami received silence as her answer.

            Nick had turned to Serena, his eyes narrowing. "Haven't I seen you before?"

            Serena frowned and shook her head 'no' and an idea popped into her head. "Wait," she called over the music of the club. "Do you happen to know Kunthan Tsukino?"

            Nick smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. He lives over at the dorms. I have a couple of classes with him." He studied Serena, taking in the white-blonde hair and bright blue eyes that he was sure he had seen before. "You related to him?"

            Serena giggled and nodded. "Yup! He's my brother."

            Nick laughed. "I thought you looked familiar." His eyes then trained to the tall brunette of the group. She was clad in a tight-fitting tank top that came a couple of inches above her belly button and her low-rising jeans bared more skin as a tasseled belt swayed with Lita's every hip movement. Her wavy, russet hair was almost red, held up in a half-tail that revealed twin, quartz roses on her ears. He felt a buzz in his stomach as he took in her Amazonian-like appearance but his gaze hardened and he pushed such thoughts away.

            '_Don't even think about it, Nick.'_ He said to himself, smiling briefly at Lita's way. _'Don't even think about it."_

            "Hey!" Everyone turned at Mina's sudden exclamation. A huge smile had exploded on her face and she raised her arm, waving. "Zachary! Over here!"

            The others followed her gaze and turned toward the massive crowd in the club where a bright, blonde head was slowly emerging. He was smiling, looking sharp thought slightly haggard. He raised his head in greeting and walked over to them. The others greeted him with 'hello's, Serena giving him a brief cheek kiss. 

            "Hey Zach. How'd your emergency go?"

            Serena's question caused Zachary's lips to tighten to a forced smile. "It was nothing." He said smoothly as his face broke into a grin. "But hey, why dwell on that when we're here?"

            Mina then turned to Nick and said, "Nick, this is our friend…"

            "Zachary. I know." Nick said dryly.

            The girls turned around and noticed the hard look on Nick's face. His bright eyes had darkened and were trained at the apprehensive Zach. An uneasy smile crept on Zach's face as he gave out a helpless shrug.

            "Good to see you again, Nick." He greeted. Nick's glower did not waiver.

            "Wish I could say the same." Nick replied coolly. Zachary gave out an exasperated sigh and shook his head.

            "Nick, Nick, Nick…" He tsked, trying to break the ice. "Haven't you missed me?'

            "After the last time you were here," Nick said. "No one would blame me if I said 'no' to your question."

            Zachary rolled his eyes. "Really, Nick. You gotta have a little more faith in people. Look, I'm just here to dance and have fun with these gorgeous ladies." He gestured to the giggling girls. 

            Nick sighed and shook his head. When he opened his eyes, there was a trace of a somber emotion in the blue depths. "I highly doubt that."

            Zach caught the pitying gaze and held his temper in check. He shrugged. "If you really think that, I can't change it." He grinned. "I guess I'll just have to prove it to you." His hand reached out and took hold of Rei's wrist. "C'mon, Pyro." He laughed. "Let's show these idiots how to really dance."

            Rei laughed and followed, eager to dance away her stress with a platonic male friend. She waved to her friends and soon disappeared into the crowd. Nick watched Zachary and Rei disappear, shaking his head sadly and muttered something under his breath in Italian. He then waved over one of his co-workers at the bar and told them something. His co-worker's face hardened and he looked at Nick in disbelief. Nick only nodded solemnly and his co-worker shook his head and then went off, stopping to talk to another bartender. Serena, Lita, and Mina watched this with confusion. Ami merely glanced at the scene and took another sip at her drink calmly. Granted, her peaceful demeanor at the confusion did not go unnoticed by her remaining companions.

            "Nick, what was that all about?" Serena asked innocently. Nick paused from staring at the bar in front of him and looked over at them. 

            "You guys haven't been friends with Zach for very long." It was statement more than a question. They all nodded and Nick gave out a tired sigh, rubbing his temples shortly. 

            "It's not my place to talk about so I'll let him, "He nodded in the direction Zach had gone to. "Explain whenever he feels like it."

~*~

            Rei watched Nick motion over to her and Zach. The blonde's arms were around her waist and hers were around his neck.

            "What the hell did you do here to piss them off?" Her voice was strong and he heard the words perfectly amidst the booming of the speakers. Zachary laughed.

            "Long story, Pyro." He replied obscurely with a grin. Rei titled her head challengingly at her dancing partner.

            "I'm not going anywhere soon." He replied. Zachary peered at her, amused and annoyed.

            "You're very persistent." He commented. "It's quite damning."

            "If that were an insult, I would be wiping the floor with your ass in ten seconds." Rei merely let out a devilish grin. "Be grateful that I'm taking that in as a compliment Pretty Boy." 

            The girl gave out a laugh at the disgusted look Zachary gave out. To be blunt, he looked like he'd been fed blindfolded and then informed he'd just eaten squirrel guts.

            "'Pretty Boy'?" He demanded, scandalized. "Good God woman! Just slay me where I stand if that's what you really think. Really," He ranted jokingly. "You do realize that to feminize a man in any way is not just mean but out rightly cruel."

            He didn't bother to pull away from the incoming slap on his arm and only laughed.

            "For your information," Rei said teasingly. "You feminized yourself with that hair of yours."

            To her surprise, Zach stuck his tongue at her in a childish manner then smirked. "Don't be jealous 'cause I'm cuter than you."

~*~

            "Wonder what he just said." Lita murmured thoughtfully, watching Zach get another slap on his arm by their fiery companion.

            "Knowing his attitude and Rei's temper," Mina said dryly. "It could be anything."

            "Amen!" A new voice called out. They all turned to the source of the newcomer and caught sight of someone with sandy-blonde hair.

            "Jaden!" Mina's voice was alight with laughter and surprise. After she had hugged him, she demanded. "What are you doing here?'

            He shrugged easily. "Sei invited me so I decided to drop by." He looked over at all of them. "What's your excuse?"

            "Rei invited us." Ami piped up. "And Seiya already put us on the list so here we are."

            Jaden's eyebrow quirked. "Really? And where is the she-devil herself, now?"

            The oldest and only Aino male and child was suddenly attacked by four punches in four different directions from the good friends of the raven-haired harpy.

            "Jeez," He pouted, annoyed. "Can't any of you take a joke? Not my fault she hates me." He muttered.

            "Yes it is." Jaden glared at Mina, who sipped her drink sweetly.

            "What'd I do to her?" He demanded. Mina gave him an incredulous stare and rolled her eyes.

            "I think the real question is, 'What didn't you do to her?' You crashed her sweet sixteen last year with that stolen car of yours." She shook her head in annoyance. "We had a hell of a time explaining to the cops about that mishap."

            "Hey! For one thing, I didn't even know that it was stolen." Jaden said defensively.

            "Jaden, the news had the cops chasing after you on the highway for almost an hour."

            "Details, details." He muttered in the Aino fashion. He then noticed Nick and grabbed a stool by the girls and glanced around at the glasses and bottles. "Let's see…"

            "_Jaden_!" Mina suddenly cried out. "You're not going to order anything are you?"

            It was not so much as the question that the blonde asked as the way she had asked it. Horror and desperation was laced into Mina's voice and fear embodied her eyes. Jaden's small smile was dropped as he took in Mina's anxious expression. If it wasn't for her provocative clothing, her expression suddenly reminded him that she was still his little sister. The same little sister that had to see some things she shouldn't have at a very young age. He reached out his arm in a familiar fashion and was engulfed in a hug from the youngest Aino child. He stroked the blonde mane comfortingly, murmuring some words of encouragement under his breath. By the time he pulled away, Mina was rubbing aside some things that look suspiciously like tears.

            "…don't worry, kid." Jaden was saying. "I'm not gonna get anything here."

            "It really wouldn't matter if you wanted to." The siblings turned to Nick, who looked uneasy at breaking what was obviously a sentimental moment. He sighed, looking over at Jaden. "Sei ordered the bartenders here to never serve a guy named Jaden Aino anything."

            "What the…?" Jaden's eyebrows quirked into something resembling annoyance. "What if I gave you a false name?"

            "No dice." Nick grinned apologetically, shaking his head. "He already showed us a picture on the day we started."

            Now both eyebrows were raised and an amused expression flooded his face. "You know, if I didn't know him since we were kids, I'd assume that he hates me."

TBC

~*chickay*~

I think the basic fluff ends in the next chapter. I'll let you guys decide. The next chapter will be up the second my computer stops being stupid.

PS. REVIEW!


	10. Up in the Club II

A/N: PART TWO. I wasn't able to say this last time, but thanks soo much to everyone who reviewed. A very special thank you goes out to Moon Ange1. Thanks so much for your encouragement and I started reading your story a while ago and I'm enjoying it thoroughly. BTW, there's a lot of strong language in this chapter, especially at the last scene, so beware.

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Up in the Club (II)

Last time on Mea:__

_            "It really wouldn't matter if you wanted to." The siblings turned to Nick, who looked uneasy at breaking what was obviously a sentimental moment. He sighed, looking over at Jaden. "Sei ordered the bartenders here to never serve a guy named Jaden Aino anything."_

_            "What the…?" Jaden's eyebrows quirked into something resembling annoyance. "What if I gave you a false name?"_

_            "No dice." Nick grinned apologetically, shaking his head. "He already showed us a picture on the day we started."_

_            Now both eyebrows were raised and an amused expression flooded his face. "You know, if I didn't know him since we were kids, I'd assume that he hates me."_

~*~

            The others laughed. After receiving a promise of soberness from Jaden, Mina and Serena went off to the dance floor, dragging a hesitant Ami behind them. At first, the three just danced with each other but it wasn't very long until a lot of the guys began to notice them. Soon, Serena and Mina were dancing with some guys that didn't even seem to speak English and Ami had resorted to trying to walk back to the bar to meet up with Lita. She stopped, though, when she saw just how entranced Lita was at the moment. Jaden had probably wandered off someplace else, seeing as how he was no longer within eyesight. Lita and Nick were leaning over the bar between them, engrossed in a conversation of some sort. For of a girl with incredible friends, Ami Mizuno suddenly felt very lonely.

~*~

            "Be a gentleman."

            "What?" Rei glanced at Zach briefly and then motioned over at Ami, who seemed to be wandering aimlessly among the rowdy teenagers. Zach's face hardened considerably and he shook his head decisively. Rei frowned.

            "Why not?" Zach chortled bitterly.

            "I thought you knew everything about us." Zach said. Rei shrugged.

            "I sort of do." 

            "Then you should know why I'm not gonna go over there to her." He retorted

            "You're a coward?" The two automatically stopped dancing at the taunting in her voice. She pursed her lips, eyes glittering, challenging him. "Grow up and get over it, Zach." She spat

            "I don't think you should be saying that to me." Zach replied in a slightly confused voice. Rei rolled her eyes in exasperation and she brought her hands to either of his shoulders.

            "Look, you made a mistake." She paused thinking something over her head. "Okay, a _big_ mistake." She muttered with a tiny laugh.

            "Gee, thank you for your wise words of encouragements." Zachary muttered.

            "…but you're a guy so I'm not surprised." Rei continued, ignoring his comment. She silenced the words that would've left his mouth in retort by suddenly spinning him around so that he was facing Ami's direction. "Now go fix your damn mistake before you screw up even further."

~*~

            Ami turned at Zach's sudden yelp. She turned and saw him rubbing his backside while shooting his previous dance partner an angry look. Rei merely smirked and then took off for someplace else. She still had an amused expression over her face when Zach turned around to look over at her. Her expression momentarily hardened as he made his way to her. 

            "Hey." His voice was soft but she could still hear him. She peered up at him, absentmindedly noticing that he was very tall.

            "Hey." If his voice was soft, hers might as well be a whisper.

~*~

            Rei watched the scene with a strange emotion on her face. She watched as Zachary held out a hand to her petite friend. She saw how Ami hesitated and then shook her head with a small smile, turning away. Rei was about to scream some very rude words to her close friends from her position on the second floor balcony over looking the dance floor when Zach caught Ami by her arm. Ami turned around, obviously startled. Rei saw Zachary's earnest expression and suddenly realized…the idiot was actually being sincere. She saw him utter only one word, on that she could read on his lips.

            _'Please.' _

            A sense of satisfaction welled up in Rei as Ami's icy demeanor was suddenly melted into nothingness and she accepted Ami's outstretched hand. A giddy smile was spreading over her features like the sun's rays.

            "Hey honey. How you doin'?" 

            _'Knew it was too good to last.'_ Rei thought, spinning around to meet a rather greasy guy standing way to close to her with a smile she found particularly revolting.

~*~

            Jaden glanced around the packed club. Sei and the others had done a great job, he thought admiringly. He glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of his target. Her hair made things a thousand times easier. Finally, he found her, on the second floor, talking to a tall man with dark brown hair. He was surprised to see the two of them so close to each other and even more so when the guy leaned in and the two kissed.

            _"Woo-hoo!"_ He whooped, breaking the two apart. He laughed at their guilty faces. "Aw, c'mon. No need to stop on my account."

            The man frowned. "Didn't we tell the bartenders to never serve you anything?"

            Jaden's smirk dropped at thought of the drinks never to be drunk and his lips twisted in slight annoyance. "Yeah, thanks for that Tai."

            Taiki Kou, one of the owners of Club Twilight, laughed and stretched out a hand to his friend. "About time you came around." He grunted. "What? Europe's better than your old buddies from high school?"

            Jaden shook his head. "Never, Tai. The clubs aren't as good either." He commented, gesturing to the whole club before and below them. He turned to the young lady that Tai currently had around his arm. "You chose a good guy this time around, babe."

            "Aww…" Michelle giggled and reached over to hug Jaden. "Don't worry, Jaden. You'll always have a place in my heart."

            "Not unless tall, dark, and quiet over here decides to beat me to a bloody pulp." Jaden piped up, nodding at Taiki.

            "As if." Michelle admonished quickly. She brought a hand around her boyfriend's neck and tiptoed to place a kiss on his cheek. "My Taiki is anything but violent…"

            "It's always the quiet ones." Jaden muttered, earning him a glare from Taiki and a quick punch from Michelle.

            "…He's kind, courteous, and a complete gentleman." She finished with pride.

            Jaden smirked. "No wonder we broke up. Your expectations were too high."

            The three all shared a laugh at that and chatted for a while. 

            "By the way," Jaden asked. "Have either of you seen Sei or Ruka?"

            Jaden found himself surprisingly not surprised when the couple suddenly became subdued and exchanged meaningful glances. Jaden sighed, shaking his head at their silence.

            "Look, if you see either of them, say that I need to talk to them." He said, his tone slightly bitter at his old friends keeping things from him. "Can you at least do that?"

            The two winced uneasily under the words and the hurt in them.

            "Hey, Jade…" But Jaden shook his head to stop any explanation and smiled at them with a wide grin.

            "Naw, it's okay." He said. Michelle came up to him and took up his hands.

            "Jaden, please understand that there are some things that we just can't really talk about." Jaden was looking at her hands, taking in the short nails with hints of paint underneath them. He remembered a time that he had held this very hand and wished to never let go. Did he regret doing it? He looked up and met Michelle's gaze. He patted her hand understandingly.

            "It's cool, guys." He said. "If Ruka wants to talk then she'll talk. The same goes for Sei." He gave a lopsided grin. "I just happened to be caught in the middle."

            He said good-bye to the two, letting go of Michelle's slender hand. He suddenly felt slightly empty without it. Did he regret it? He turned around, suddenly realizing that Michelle and Taiki were at a rather discreet location of the club, one that would hide their presence from certain best friends. He gave a sad smile. No. He did feel for Michelle a lot, he'd never denied that. But it just wasn't going to work out…

            Yet, only if it could've…

            Out of the corner of his eye, Jaden noticed a familiar flicker of dark, raven hair. He turned and saw Rei up head on the second floor. She was looking pissed. Well, even more so than when she was around him. He noticed who she was with and his frowned deepened.

~*~

            "Rei!" Rei and the guy she had labeled as 'the Jerk' turned at the sound of the voice. Jaden was approaching them though his eyes were only focused on Rei. "Hey baby." He said huskily. Rei caught on to his game but still cursed the sudden, inexplicable rapid beating of her heart. Jaden reached over to trace her jaw line and. unbidden to either of them, a trace of electricity short through from the brief contact. Rei felt his arm snake around her waist, where it surprisingly rested comfortably on her hip. Jaden eyed the Jerk with a threatening smile. "Who's your friend, baby?"

            The Jerk gave his own challenging smirk. "Funny, she didn't tell me she was seeing anyone."

            "Are you kidding me?" '_Looks like Mina isn't the only actress in the family._' Rei thought watching Jaden play out the couple charade. "How many idiots are in this town that wouldn't jump at the chance of being with this woman?"

            Rei felt her cheeks redden at the praise and mentally kicked herself. It wasn't like he meant a word of it. But still…

            The Jerk was obviously looking pissed and dissed. He had sized up Jaden and decided that he'd be digging his own grave if he tried to push his luck. With a sneer, the greasy snake slinked off with an incoherent mutter about his friends and drinks. Rei watched him leave with satisfaction.

            "You know," She said. "I never thought I'd say this, but thanks."

            Jaden grinned. "All in a day's work, missy."

            An awkward moment passed over them as they watched over the crowd on the dance floor before them. Rei felt a tug at her waist and turned, surprised to realize that Jaden still had his grip on her hip. He smirked.

            "C'mon."

            "What?" Was Rei's slightly dazed reply.

            "You owe me a reward." He explained simply. "I want a dance."

            Wordlessly, Jaden guided her down the stairs to the dance floor. He pushed aside some people and the two made their way to the center of the crowd. Rei tentatively placed her arms around his neck and his hands found their way to her hips. It was amazing at how smoothly and synchronized the motions were; like it was the most natural thing to do. For the next few minutes, the two moved together as one, every bodily movement mimicked by the other. Some time they were dancing, Rei had turned around so that he was standing right behind her, his arms still encircling her waist. Rei had crept up a hand to his neck from in front of him. Her hand lightly touched his chin, guiding it to below. Rei's brain was screaming for her to stop. Had she truly forgotten who this idiot was? The things this jerk had done?

            As Rei's hand led his face closer to hers, Rei answered herself with a decisive _'Yes'._

            But just as the two were close enough, Rei noticed something in her peripheral vision…

~*~

            "I'm sorry."

            Ami looked up from her dreamy thoughts and met Zach's somber green eyes, startled at the sudden question. She frowned.

            "For what?"

            "Everything." Ami didn't say anything, just slowly moving side to side with Zachary, her arms strangely comfortable around his neck. It didn't really matter what she said or didn't say, Zachary was going on. "Lying to you… Mocking you… Hurting you… Trying to…"

            Here, Zachary's voice faltered and Ami stopped their flowing movement of dance and placed a tender finger on his lips.

            "Zach," She cooed. "You don't have to…"

            "No please." Desperation tinged his voice as one of his hands trailed to her hand around his neck. He took it in his hands, staring at the nimble fingers and soft palm as if in fascination. "Let me do this…" He had looked up to meet her gaze when his facial expression twisted in confusion. "Is that Lita?"

            Surprised and confused at the sudden change of conversation, Ami glanced about. Yes. It was Lita. But why on earth was she walking so fast?      "What the…?"

            "Yeah. It is her." Zachary confirmed for both of them. He noticed one of Lita's hand reaching up to her face and rubbing furiously. "Is she…?"

            Ami strained to get a good look over the still-dancing crowd around them. It was only then that she noticed that they were the only ones who had stopped dancing. "I think so."

            "Go to her."

            Surprise alighted her ivory complexion as she turned back at the command. "What? But what about you…?"

            "Later." He gave a whimsical smile and shrugged. Zach brought her frail hand to his lips. "You're friend needs you."

            Perhaps if Ami could actually have registered what had just happened, she wouldn't have been so stunned to comply. But she did anyway, leaving a certain blonde-haired man in her midst, still feeling the softness of his lips on her hand.

~*~

            "Lita!"

            "Wait up!" Rei and Ami looked at each other, somewhat surprised at each others' appearances. However, they continued to try to chase Lita until she was walking out of the club. She wasn't listening to them. From behind them, they heard the rapid clicking of heels and turned around as they were walking to see Serena and Mina following from behind. They had probably spotted Lita's disheveled state as well. Rei turned around again, catching Ami just as she called out louder,

            "LITA!" At the call, the Amazon stopped dead in her tracks, her head tilted to the heavens in defeat. It wasn't until they all caught up with her that they realized her head was facing the skies to keep as many tears in her eyesas possible.

            "Lita, what's wrong?" Ami asked softly

            Serena gasped. "Oh my God, Lita."

            "Girl, what the hell happened to you?" Mina demanded, taking in her friend's distressing state.

            Lita gripped her head at the abrupt bombardment of questions. "_Back off already_!" Even Lita was startled by the vehemence in her voice. She had never spoken to her friends in such a manner. Rei's eyes lit up with anger and hurt.

            "No need to be so bitchy, Lita." The dark-haired teenager huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "For God's sakes, we're just concerned. Forgive us if worrying about our friend is a crime."

            Lita's face softened apologetically as guilt surged through her, pushing away the pain that had just taken place in her. "I'm sorry, guys." She said, barely above a whisper. The previous anger and irritation of her friends were dissipated at the emotional cracking in her voice. Mina stepped out, clasping a hand on her friend's shoulder.

            "Lita, what's wrong?" An angry fire suddenly sparked inside her eyes. "Did some guy do something to you?"

            "If so, please inform us." Rei said with bite in her voice. "I'll be more than happy to oblige in some ass-kicking tonight." She said, recalling the Jerk.

            Ami frowned in confusion. "But I thought you were with Nick all night."

            Lita let out a strangled cry at the Nick and glared at Ami. "Don't _ever_ say that man's name to me ever again."

            Mina stepped in front of Lita's glare to Ami. "Okay, for one thing," She began angrily. "Ames did shit to you so stop spazzing on her. Two, start explaining what's going on."

            Lita shook her head sadly and suddenly backed intoone of the outside walls of the club. She could feel the booming music from outside.

            "I thought he was a great guy." She said pitifully. Her friends stood by, still slightly confused at the situation. "I was really enjoying myself being with him. God! I'm such an idiot!" She cried, furiously wiping away the tears staining her face. "I can't believe I'm getting so worked up over a stranger over one night."

            "Lita, you're not an idiot." Serena insisted. "But what happened. When we left, you and he seemed to be getting along just fine."

            "And I saw you two later on." Ami added, recalling the happy scene between the two. "What happened?"

            There was silence until Lita practically spat out one word,

            _"Bethany."_

Flashback:

            Lita and Nick were enjoying a conversation with each other. It had taken her a while, but Lita managed to loosen Nick's restrictive behavior. At first, it was like he was trying hard not to put any effort into socializing with her but, in a few minutes, he was talking nonstop.

            "Hey Nick." A strange new woman had suddenly moved into the scene. She had dark, sultry eyes that rivaled the night and black hair that was highlighted with streaks of blue. She was wearing a lacy tank top and a tight, leather miniskirt. She leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Nick's inviting and smiling lips that were murmuring a greeting before they were completely covered. Lita shifted uncomfortably at the show of affection. The woman broke away from the kiss and then eyed Lita with a curious gaze.

            "Who's your friend, Nicky?" Nick grinned and turned to Lita.

            "Beth, this is Lita." Nick smiled; a smile that had only a moment ago had melted Lita's reserve to a stumbling, jabbering lovesick teen. Only now, that quirk of his mouth opened to say words that Lita hadn't expected (or didn't want to expect) to hear. "Lita this is Bethany." He looked at the woman by his side adoringly. "My fiancé."

            Bethany reached out to greet Lita and the teenager caught the lights that were reflected off her left hand. Lita felt as if her heart had been slammed to the ground, shattering to a million, broken shards.

End Flashback.

            Lita refused to meet her friends' faces, knowing the expressions that would be on them. She snorted.

            "Of course he'd have a girlfriend." She said bitterly. "What idiot would ever dump someone like her for something like me?"

            "Don't you dare say that!" Serena commanded. "Lita you are gorgeous and if you say otherwise I will…"

            A sharp slamming of a door somewhere startled all of the girls out of their conversation. They heard a shouting of voices nearby and realized that it was coming out of one of the other exits of the club. They might've left, not really caring to eavesdrop, but the voices were strikingly familiar.

~*~

            "Go to hell!"

            "Seiya?" Rei muttered wonderingly.

            "It's probably better than having to deal with your bullshit!" 

            "Haruka?" Mina piped up softly. Rei and she looked at each other, stunned. They had never heard their siblings speak with such anger and language. Another voice was saying something; it was softer and apparently calmer than either of the two other voices. Haruka's voice suddenly boomed.

            "I don't care, Michelle!" She shouted. Ami seemed slightly shocked at the mention of her sister's name. "It's about time it all came out. I'm fucking tired of keeping it all in. And if that bastard can't handle it then that's his fault!"

            The voices were close…very close. They realized that it was down the alley to their left and none of them could really move from their spots, their bodies unwilling to move as their brains were still trying to process the situation.

            Another soft voice came up, different from Michelle.

            "Good God, Jade! Whose side are you on? Your twin or this bastard?"

            Another pause of someone talking softer than Seiya and Haruka.

            "'Uncalled for?' You want something else uncalled for? Here it is: Fuck you Seiya!" Haruka called out. There was a clicking of heels. Haruka was coming their way. None of them dared to move.

            "Naw, bitch!" Seiya all but screamed. "Fuck you!"

            "You already did bit-"

            She had spotted them and a surprised and guilty look embedded on her expressions. The others noted the dark purple mark on her neck as she stared over at Mina. The younger daughter was looking at her sister with a horrified expression, one that seemed to look past Haruka, like she didn't even recognize her. Mina then seemed to snap herself back to reality, walking down towards her sister with a cold expression on her face.

            "Mina-"

            "Don't." Mina stopped her sister's advancements with one word and a motion of her palm. She turned the alley and heard some gasps from those down there. She saw Seiya, looking like he was just held back by Taiki. He was sporting an amusing black eye and a split lip. Jaden was right by him, a red mark on his cheek and a rip in his sleeve. Michelle stood close by, looking tired and overcome with the situation but otherwise unharmed, though Mina's appearance did startled her. Mina walked straight up to her brother, her shoes making the only sound echoing off the alley walls. 

            "Jaden," She said quietly. "Can I go home with you?"

            Haruka looked crushed and Seiya soon mimicked her expression as Rei followed from behind and asked for a ride from Jaden as well, completely ignoring any and all exclamations from her brother. Serena, Ami, and Lita drove in silence with Haruka and Michelle. As they left, Serena glanced outside the car window. The music inside the club was still pumping. She could imagine the people inside still dancing, her old partner, Ignacio or something equally vague dancing with another girl. Nick was probably serving a drink to his fiancé and her thoughts wandered over to how Zachary was planning to get home. Nothing had changed in the outside. Serena wondered how things would be at that moment had Lita not run outside and they hadn't followed. They say ignorance is bliss. In this case, had they not witnessed the verbal battle, perhaps the silence in the car would not be as deafening.

            Serena caught the sight of a falling star as they left the parking lot. Even though she already knew that it was a small, solid body that had entered the Earth's atmosphere as it traveled through space, she couldn't push the childish urge and her eyes closed As she opened her eyes, a soft wish was sent up to the heavens. It was only a matter of whether or not it would be answered.

~*chickay*~

::Sighs:: And we are done! At least for this one. Keep on reviewing and encourage me!


	11. Nothing More

A/N: Hey, I'm baaaaaaaack. Sorry for those who checked with my latest update and found nothing new. I just basically altered Chapter 10 in Ami and Zach's scene (though if you didn't pay attention to the events you wouldn't have known it was them). Eeek!! Please don't kill me. _Someone _::mutters, annoyed:: didn't pay the phone bill so guess who couldn't go online for a nice long while? Uh-huh. Yeah. That would be me. Thousands of thank you's to those who have sent in their reviews (when I finally got the chance to read them ::mutters again::). 

Okay, here's my latest and I hope you guys enjoy!

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Nothing More

          Rei glanced at her reflection for what was probably the eighteenth time of the night. Her violet eyes gazed critically over her porcelain-like features clad in the willowy white number she had picked out earlier in the week. It was a halter-top dress, with the white strands tying behind her slender neck. The material was soft, fitting her figure like a glove before separating at the longs slits along the sides and swirling to right above her knees, showing off her gorgeously long legs. A diamond pendant strung along her throat, matching earrings dangling on her ears. She wore white sandals with pallid straps lacing up around her calves. She had put her hair in a half-tail, the top half lusciously and painstakingly curled to perfection.

          A sudden knock came to her door and she turned to see Penelope, one of their maids, peep her head into the room.

          "Senorita." She said. "Senor Kaidou esta aqui." (1)

          Rei seemed to find her voice in her dry throat long enough to tell Penelope that she would be down in a minute. She stood up from her vanity, looking over herself again. Her eyes wavered over to a certain photo that lay on her vanity desk in a beautiful crystal frame. The faded image of Rayna Yanielle Hino-Stanvers stared back her with a loving gaze. Rei's maternal grandparents were from Spain and Japan respectively. Her father had been a pure-breed American. How or why her parents had gotten together and stayed together (or rather, why her mother stayed with her father) would remain a bitter mystery to the teenager. 

          Rayna had died when Seiya was six, making Rei a mere child of three years of age. Rei had very little recollection of her mother. The memories that she did have were vague, almost like hazy dreams. Other clues to the person her mother was, were found in the pictures in the albums and the home movies of Rayna happily waving to the camera with a grinning Seiya and a giggling Rei on her arms. Victor Stanvers was nowhere to be found in little Rei's memory. The girl could barely recall her mother and she might as well forgotten about her father had the man not given presents and money on her birthday to blow off on whatever she wanted. Seiya was the only reliable thing in Rei's life. It was he, who taught Rei their mother's main language, Spanish. It was he, who stood up and against their father when he was clearly stepping over the line between parental discipline and haphazard abuse. Not that their father was abusive. He just had a temper of a chaotic volcano ready to erupt at any sign of movement. 

          Rei shook herself out of her reverie, reached over to pick up her purse, and got out of out of her room. Rei smiled weakly as she came down the staircase. Kaidou stood up from the couch he was sitting on and smiled warmly up at her. Kaidou was not old, Rei insisted to herself. In fact, he looked young and youthful right now, wearing his tuxedo. His white-blond hair was neatly combed back and his wide blue eyes sparkled at the sight of her.

          "Reina, you look stunning." Rei almost visibly winced in front of him. She hated it when people called her by her full first name. Instead, she smiled sweetly and allowed the man before her to place a soft kiss on her cheek. For a very, very peculiar reason, Rei's heart didn't do that little jumpy thing that it had done in the past years that she had grown to…love(?) Kaidou. Even more so there was something (something that she wouldn't admit to for a while) that suddenly pictured another man by her side, with a brighter shade of golden locks and mischievous sultry eyes that had…

          Rei furiously snapped herself out of her daze, suddenly feeling upset with herself. What was she thinking? _Was_ she thinking? Surely, she couldn't be imagining that jerk in the place of this man that she had been pinning for in so long just because of one dance that lasted less than ten minutes. It was just one dance for crying out loud! They just danced once and there was nothing more to say about it.…Right?

          She happily accepted the coat that Kaidou held out to her and they were off. 

          Senator Stanvers was already going to be at the party. He was leaving his office and heading there directly. Little wonder that Rei had found a whole set of his suits in the closets of his office room. The man might as well have moved in a bed and kitchen in his office, seeing as he seemed to live out of there more than at their home.

          About half and hour later, they pulled up at the party. It was the home of one of her father's associates, a rich one at that she noted as she nodded politely at the valet boy. She took Kaidou's arm and entered the party, feeling her face suddenly tighten as she forced a smile on her face.

          _"Just smile, understand? It doesn't matter if you like, love, or hate whoever's looking, just smile and look like you're happy."_

          Rei felt a sudden twinge of irritation as she recalled the 'advice' her father had given her when she was about seven. This was the same advice she was now following, handing her coat to the man at the door and walking by Kaidou's side down the few steps that led to the dance floor. She heard the whispers start even before she began to step down the staircase. Several men and women looked over at the couple's direction with speculating and curious eyes. Of course, the two made quite an interesting pair. They seemed to float down with the easy grace of angels and the soft, white material of Rei's dress only enhanced the visage.

          On the other hand, there were several well-to-do daughters of the rich huddled over and sending strange gazes in their direction.

          "Oh wow!" One girl noted, glancing at them, hastily whispering to her companions. "Who on earth is that?"

          "Hmmm… isn't that Kaidou, Senator Stanvers' assistant?"

          "Yeah. I think so. He's hot, isn't he?"

          "Hell yeah. But who's that on his arm? Is that his girlfriend?"

          "Oh, man that would so suck. All the goods ones are taken."

          "And by _that_ nonetheless."

          "Yeah, who does she think she is?"

          "_She_," A new voice cut in brusquely, "Thinks that she is Reina Hino, Senator Stanvers' daughter by his first marriage."

          The teenagers turned to meet the glare of one of the girls in their group. She had dark hair that had the strangest hue of purple. That hair was currently piled high on her head, showing off her long neck and her curvaceous body could be made out by the pink dress that she wore. Her dark eyes glared at the girls around her in disgust.

          "Honestly." She spat, exasperated. "Haven't you anything better to do than gossip about things you don't even know about?" She rolled her eyes and regarded them with hostility. "You guys are ridiculous."

          "Well, don't have a cow." One of the girls said airily. "It's not like we knew who she was."

          "All the more reason you should've shut your traps." The pink-clad teen snapped. "You don't know who she is and therefore have no right to judge."

          She reached behind her and took up her (matching) pink purse. "And I think I'll go over and say hi."

          As our new character broke away from the entourage of girls behind her, her eyes narrowed down to the girl just a few feet ahead of her.

          Reina Hino was obviously not happy. One glance at her tightened face that seemed to be frozen in that fake (though convincing) smile told this new girl that she was definitely not pleased with having to smile at every single person that came up to her and introduced themselves as friends of her father. Rei suddenly felt a gloved arm link through hers when she was saying hi to some deputy and glanced around her to meet a very familiar face.

          "Cat!" Catherine Forte grinned widely as she and Rei threw huge hugs around each other. Rei was smiling like crazy when she pulled away. "Oh my God! It's so good to see you!"

          The girl laughed and planted a kiss on Rei's cheek. "Likewise, Rei, likewise."

          Her gaze then shifted over to the man who stood a little away from where Rei was. She turned back to Rei with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "And who, darling, is tall, cute, and gorgeous behind you?"

          A rose flush crept on Rei's face as she muttered something that confirmed the recent gossip of him being Stanvers' right-hand man. 

          "Hey, listen." Cat said suddenly. "Come with me for a second. I have something I really wanna tell you."

          There was so much mystery and excitement in Cat's voice that Rei couldn't resist. She turned around to excuse herself from her escort but she found that Kaidou was already surrounded by several big-time men that made Rei suddenly feel very young and…immature. She bit her lip and then turned back to Cat, who now had a very sympathetic look on her face. She gave Cat a weak smile.

          "Let's go." She said, slightly disappointed, taking Cat's hand and leading her away. "He's busy right now."

          Cat nodded understandingly and the two walked away together. On the way, they bumped into a waiter and grabbed two glasses of champagne. Cat pulled her out to one of the balconies. It was a quiet peaceful night compared to the thunderous laughter from inside.

          "So…" Rei turned to Cat with a grin. "What's the big news, cuz?"

          True, they were cousins. Apparently, Catherine and her three other sisters were the daughters of one of Victor Stanvers' cousins. At Rei's question, Cat bit her lip with a hesitant look in her eyes as she looked over the bush of roses growing at the balcony side. She then turned to Rei, putting down her purse and drink. Rei watched with curious eyes as Cat slowly but surely took off the satin white glove on her left arm…

          "Oh.My.God." The words barely registered in her own mind as her brain was still focusing on the sparkling white diamond glittering on Cat ring finger on her left hand. Rei's hand crept over to Cat as she stared admiringly at it. "Who-What-How?" Rei incoherently asked Cat with wide eyes and smiles. 

          Cat gave a giddy laugh and took back her hand, gazing at the ring fondly. "Beautiful isn't it?"

          "Damn straight." Cat laughed even harder at Rei's blunt reply. "Now who is it? Oh my God. Jared? No-Wait. Christopher?"

          Cat merely giggled and bit her lip as Rei ticked off the names of guys that they had mutually known, shaking her head at each name.

          "Ugh!" Rei said exasperatedly, a wild smile on her face. "Oh, come on! Just tell me. I have to know!"

          "Uh-uh." Cat said in a teasing, singsong voice. "However…"

          Here, she reached out and took Rei's hands in her own. "I do have something to ask you."

          Rei's eyes widened in surprise. "Cat, you can't mean…"

          Cat's head bobbed enthusiastically, grinning. "C'mon, Rei." She prodded. "Be my maid of honor?"

          Rei let out a huge, delighted laugh, throwing her arms around her cousin once more. "Of course I will. But wait…" She pulled away and peered at Cat with suspicious eyes. "What do your sisters have to say about this?" Cat's face twisted into a mix between someone being tortured and uncertainty. It was a look that Rei did not like. "Cat…" She said strongly, her eyes narrowing. "What's going on?"

          "It's nothing really…" But Cat's voice trailed off, leaving Rei even more suspicious. 

          "But…?" Rei prompted. Cat bit her lip and absentmindedly tugged on curl. Finally, she gave a defeated sigh and shook her head sadly.

          "My sisters have refused to have anything to do with the wedding."

          "WHAT?" Some people inside the ballroom glanced outside and Rei flushed in embarrassment at her outburst. She flicked her eyes at Cat. "Cat, what on earth is going on here?"

          That was the question Rei definitely wanted an answer to. The Forte sisters were orphans. Their mother died when Cat, their youngest, was four. Their father had done his best, making sacrifices many men of his positions would never even consider for the sake of family. Obviously, Horatio Forte was nothing like his cousin, Rei's father. He had died in a crash on his private jet heading home for a family vacation with his daughters, leaving his beautiful girls, ranging from age ten to eighteen at the time, to fend off the world on their own. The girls had been inseparable from the beginning and the death of their father had only pulled them closer to each other. They had refused any charity whatsoever and after some negotiations with some very big friends of their father, their oldest, Priscilla, had managed to set off a cosmetic company that later resulted in the openings of several spas around the nation a few years later when their second oldest, Arianna, joined Priscilla in the business. 

          The sisters were close, so close that Rei was beginning to worry that there was something dark beneath the surface than Cat was allowing to let on.

          "Cat," Rei reached out and held Cat's hand in hers, looking her straight in the eye. "Why would your sisters refuse to have anything to do with your wedding? For God's sakes, they love you like crazy!"

          Cat seemed to give in, opening her mouth to say something when a commotion broke them up. Their heads turned to the party where just about everyone was shouting about something. The second cousins glanced at each other and ran off inside as fast as their heels would carry them.

          "Get off o' me!" Rei heard Cat gasp by her side and saw the girl moving faster.

          "Cat, wait!" However, Cat was slowly disappearing into the crowd that surrounded the source of the noise. Rei eventually pushed her way to the front and her eyebrows were raised to the sky.

          A red-haired man was being held by two other men, a look of drunken fury alighting his features. He was shouting out slurred curses and insults at any and everyone around him. There was another man being restrained, but this one looked completely sober and livid. 

          "You keep that asshole away from Jen, you hear?" The other man called out, one that Rei recognized as Sean MacTaggert, an extremely young entrepreneur that she had spoken to at mutual galas. However, Sean had struck Rei as a businessman, very tuned in with his emotions. Yet, now, he looked about ready to kill. Rei supposed that the quivering girl with a rip in the sleeve of her shirt was Jen and quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together.

          Perhaps the reason that the other two men held the drunk, red head up was more for physical support than restraint, as the man seemed to be stumbling as he walked. What had shocked Rei, however, was that Cat was right there at the center of it all. She was standing right by the drunk with a desperate look in her eyes, looking like she was whispering to the man, pleading him to stop his behavior. However, the drunken man did not heed her words and Cat soon straightened and ordered something to the two men holding the red-haired man down. Soon, they were hauling the drunk down the hall, all eyes in the room giving the disappearing figures lingering looks before going back to gossiping. The crowd that had surrounded the commotion dissipated and Rei allowed her eyes to trail over to MacTaggert, who was now hugging the girl who stood behind him. The girl was crying and she was soon led out of the house by a comforting Sean.

          As they left, Rei looked up see Cat still standing there, staring off at the direction the red-haired man had been taken to. She was agitatedly twisting on her engagement ring.

          "Ruben Van Buren." Cat looked over at her cousin at her sudden words. Rei looked at Cat with cold eyes. "He's your fiancé."

          Cat could practically Rei's fury from where she stood and felt the biting sting of the venom in Rei's voice so she looked away and nodded, still twisting on the ring. Rei walked over to the girl until her face was right by Cat's ear. 

          "Cat, I love you like a sister," She began. "But this, by far, has to be _the_ most idiotic thing that I have ever witness you do."

          Hurt reflected in Cat's eyes before she turned them on Rei with anger.

          "How dare you say that!"

          "I dare say that because I know it." Rei whispered harshly, careful to keep her voice down. Her face turned pitying. "Cat, I can't believe you'd do something like this. After all he's done to you you're still willing to forgive this asshole?"

          "Don't call him that." Cat demanded, her expression softening to a pleading gaze. "He's different now, Rei." She said earnestly. "He really is. He loves me."

          Rei gave a low growl and threw up her hands in irritation. She turned her back to Cat with a livid look. "Are you honestly still believing every lie coming out of his mouth? Come on woman! He just tried groping another guy's girl and you're still defending him?" Once more, a look of hatred sprang through Rei's face and she threw up a hand sharply, using all of her mental strength to keep from slapping her favorite cousin senseless. "Dios (2)!" 

          "He loves me." Rei turned at Cat sharply. There was shaky confidence behind the words that did little to alter Rei's opinion of the situation. Cat straightened. "He loves me, Rei. And I love him. That's all I need to know."

          Rei rolled her eyes. "Really? What about trust, Cat? Don't you need to know that, too? What about commitment?"

          "Oh shut up." Cat demanded hotly. "You haven't been in a serious relationship in what seems to be decades. Who are you to talk about bad relationships?"

          "I'm the result of one of them." Rei shot back. Cat promptly shut up, looking away at the recollection of the relationship between the first Stanvers couple. Rei sighed, shaking her head in dismay. "Whatever, Cat." She said hoarsely. "Do what you will. I know what that man has done to you and a lot of other people. So feel free to marry him for all I care. Just don't try to defend him in my face."

          Before Cat could say anymore, Rei had stalked off, leaving her cousin in her midst. The cool air on the balcony seemed to calm the wild fury in the girl. Of all the people in the world, Catherine Forte had to choose Ruben Van Buren, the spoiled son of a wealthy tycoon that spent his monthly allowance on girls, drinks, and drugs. The idea was sickening. And after all he had done! After all…

          "BOO!" Rei jumped, slightly startled at the comment and spun around to meet the devilish grin owned by no other than Jaden Aino. She gave a scoff of exasperation and slapped his arm, annoyed. He, however, merely laughed.

          "Jerk!" She exclaimed, trying to slow her shocked heart. "Trying to scare me like that." Jaden rolled his eyes. 

          "Come on woman, be a man." Rei glanced at him as if he was crazy for a moment then just looked away.

          "What the hell are you doing here?" She questioned, feeling hot all of the sudden despite the coolness of the night. She stole a quick glance at him, realizing he was wearing a tuxedo identical to the one Kaidou was wearing. Yet…he seemed to look more…

          Once more, Rei found herself shaking her head in self-denial. No way was she having these thoughts him of all people. Jaden leaned against the balcony on his back, glancing at her.

          "Dad made me come here." He muttered, nodding inside the room. Rei turned caught sight of the tall, blonde figure of Mr. Aino. He was currently in a conversation with a mayor that escaped Rei's memory at the time being and Jaden was continuing. "He wanted to show off his European-educated son to his associates."

          "Can't imagine why." Rei snickered. She laughed when Jaden glared.

          "Please." He growled. "I have much better things to be doing than being used as a trinket for my dad to be flashing around."

          A cloud reached Rei's eyes and she turned to look at her drink. "What a coincidence."

          Rei had said the comment softly. Perhaps if it had been someone else, nothing else would have happened. Unfortunately, for her, this was Jaden. The said man now looked over at Rei with a calculating glance, as if he was looking at her but not really seeing. Rei felt him staring and turned sharply towards him, ready to glare down whatever pity was in his eyes. However, she only encountered the same annoyingly cocky smile on his face.

          "We're not so different," He said. "Are we, Rei?"

          Rei gave an encouraging smile, realizing that there had been a horrible pit in her stomach that only widened at the reminder of what she really was to her father; just another implement to appease his little friends.

          "Maybe." Rei muttered then suddenly grinning. "Though it's hard to picture that I'd have anything in common with a goofball like you."

          "Better a goofball than a spitfire." Jaden laughed as he ducked a punch and Rei shook her head at him though a grin was spreading on her face as well. "Who was the hottie in pink?" Jaden asked suddenly, motioning back into the ballroom where Cat had been earlier. 

          Rei sighed and took another sip of her drink. "Catherine Forte."

          "Damn, she's hot." Jaden whooped with a whistle. Rei rolled her eyes.

          "She's also my cousin." 

          "You didn't get the good genes did you?" Jaden teased. He merely avoided the glare coming his way and smirked.

          There was a pause before she added, "And she's engaged-"

          "Good for her." Jaden commended happily, interrupting her and taking another sip.

          "-To Ruben Van Buren." Rei finished, watching the happiness disappear in an instant. Jaden spit out the champagne that he was about to digest and his eyebrows seemed to disappear into his hairline at the name and it was confirmed that Jaden already knew of Ruben's dirty reputation. Rei nodded complacently.

          "Yeah. I know what you're saying." She said, titling her head back and letting the drink slither down her throat.

          "…She didn't get much of the brains from the family did she?" Rei managed not to choke on her drink and swallowed before letting out a coughing laugh.

          "Something…like that." Rei managed between laughs. 

          "Wow." Jaden gasped in mock astonishment. "The banshee can laugh."

          Rei shot him another glare. "You ruined a perfectly good moment, you know."

          "I wasn't aware we were having one."

          An immediate blush graced Rei features and she turned away quickly but Jaden had already seen the redness. However, he only smiled secretly to himself and looked the other way. There was another slight pause before Rei heard him say,

          "You don't belong here."

          At this comment, she turned to him again, expecting to see a cocky grin and was very disarmed to see the look of pure honesty and compassion. It was the same tender look that Rei had seen on Seiya's face when she had spotted him with a girl a few months ago. It was the same one that she had seen Jaden give Michi-

          Here, Rei's trail of thought turned dark.      

          "No really." Jaden insisted at seeing a dark and doubting emotion in her eyes. "I mean it." When Rei did not say anything, he gave out an exasperated sigh and said, "I'm just saying that this doesn't suit you."

          Rei raised an eyebrow. ''This'?" She repeated. "And what, pray tell, is 'this'?"

          Jaden made a wide expression with his arms towards the ballroom. "All of this." He said vaguely. "You don't belong here. This is a stuffy place for greedy politicians and businessmen to rub up on each other and strike up deals with traitorous hands and lying promises. You don't belong here."

          Rei forced a laugh, suddenly feeling very stuffy. "And what makes you think that I don't belong here?"

          Jaden had not altered his look of tender loving and Rei was forced to revert to being stoic and waiting his response.

          "You're worth more than all of them."

          The short, simple reply hit Rei with an emotional surge. No one in her life had ever told her that she was worth something. Her father was a chauvinist asshole who spent too much time cracking the whip over Seiya to bother with Rei. Seiya was her brother; he was entitled to make her feel good about herself, as were her friends. Granted, she had known that jerk-er man before her since she was a kid but now…

          Somehow, someway, it was different.

          "Are you teasing me again Jaden?" Rei questioned shakily, drawing herself up. "Because if you are, it's not very funny."

          Jaden shrugged shortly. "Nope, no joke." He shook his head. "You're real, Rei. It might've taken me a while to see it, but you're actually real."

          Rei sort of stood there in place for a while, stuck somewhere between confusion and being flattered. Jaden smirked.

          "Speechless?" He teased. "That's a first."

          Rei glared at him through her blushing face. "Oh shut up!"

          Jaden only laughed. Yet, for what was probably the first time since she's known him, Rei was relishing in his presence. Jaden had always been a clown but he was always too busy playing tricks on Rei and she was too busy beating him up to really get to know the person beneath the idiotic front.

          "J-Jaden?" Rei managed to stutter. Jaden was coming dangerously closer now. Rei couldn't seem to stop herself but somewhere in her mind, she knew that she was moving closer to him and he wasn't stopping. "Um…I think I better go."

          She made a move to leave but was stopped almost immediately by the soft, yet firm grip Jaden was now holding her arm in.

          "Uh-uh." Jaden said, wagging his finger. "You're not getting away that easily again."

          It took a while, but the meaning of his words eventually caught up to Rei. She was suddenly reminded of the night before, at the club, when she and Jaden had been dancing together on the dance floor. One close of her eyes and it was like they were the only ones there. However, Lita's distraught state and caused her to tear away from him with nothing more than a few incomprehensible words.

          "Shh." Jaden whispered as she found herself stuttering for another excuse. "It's just me, remember?"

          His voice was a hypnotic tune that wouldn't let her leave, slowly drawing her in closer, bringing back a memory of the night before when they were so close… But now, there was just about nothing left to stop the inevitable.

          The kiss wasn't very good, Rei would decide later.

          It was **awesome**! Heat seemed to burst like a roaring blaze was suddenly lit between their interlocking lips, drawing warmth to every last inch of their bodies in a mere few seconds. Jaden's hands found their way to her familiar curves and Rei's crept up to touch his hair, which was softer to the touch than she had previously thought. Someone let out a sound of ecstasy but neither could tell who. Both were to enwrapped in each other to really notice anything much else.

          When the kiss finally did end, Rei snapped herself away from him, gasping for breath. Jaden sort of leaned against the balcony railing, shakily running his fingers through his hair. Neither could really look the other in the eye, let alone say anything. Maybe, it was better that they had broken apart when they did…

          "Rei!" Both jumped slightly at the interruption and turned to see the menacing figure of Victor Stanvers standing before them. 

          "Y-Yes, Dad?" Rei cursed herself. Why was she stuttering? She heard Jaden let out a disappointed sigh. Hate to admit it, but she was pretty disheartened at the broken moment, too.

          Her father was moving closer now, flicking his violet eyes, Rei's violet eyes, onto Jaden with suspicion. He turned those very eyes on Rei and narrowed them.

          "Come on, Rei." He growled, slightly slurring. "I have some friends who want to meet you."

          Rei shuddered at the innuendo behind the statement but she held her ground. She knew when her father had had a little more than necessary to drink. "What for?"

          "Don't ask any questions." He barked and Rei flinched slightly. Jaden noticed this and proceeded to send glares in Mr. Stanvers' way in not such a discreet manner. Stanvers made a move to Rei but Jaden surprisingly took a step forward, standing in front of Rei, shielding her from her father. Victor's eyes lit up in anger and indignation. Who was this brat? He quickly took in the familiar blue eyes and golden hair and recognized him as that son that Argon or Aino man. Whatever. It was clear that he couldn't lay a hand on the kid, that would cause a scene he didn't need. So he settled for glaring at his daughter over the young man's shoulder.

          "I think Rei's feeling tired right now." Jaden said coolly, his eyes boring like a blue flame into Victor. He then turned around to Rei, and she was met with a protective glance and a small smile of encouragement. "Aren't you, Rei?"

          Rei was surprised at the act of shelter that she just nodded dumbly. Jaden smiled and turned to Victor with a triumphant smirk. 

          'Well, that settles it." He reached behind him and took Rei's hand. "C'mon Rei, I'll get you a ride."

          Rei avoided her father's glare as she rushed past him, still holding onto Jaden's comforting hand. In a whirr of music, flowing dresses, and tuxedos, that same hand held her firmly until she was right by the entrance of the door. She barely heard Jaden give out an order for a car to take Rei home. Mr. Aino would not be pleased at all if he realized Jaden had left without his consent.

          A car moved up in front of the entrance and Jaden gently led her to it, opening the door for her. He wrote down her address for the chauffeur and closed the door, leaving the window on her side open.

          They hadn't said anything to each other yet and Jaden couldn't really find the words to say what he was thinking. So, the man settled for planting a small kiss on her cheek before stepping away as the car drove off.

          Rei was still in too much of shock, refusing to turn around and glance at Jaden.

          _Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid…_

          So went the mantra of denial running through the girl's brain as she rubbed her head furiously, futilely trying to block out the past minutes' events. With a groan of frustration she tugged at her hair, barely registering the fact that she had just ruined her hair-do. 

          _It's no big_. She lied to herself. _It was nothing. Nothing. Just a kiss._ She had had kisses before. It wasn't a new experience for her. And yet. She glared at the hand that had unconsciously reached up to her lips, where she could still taste the champagne he was drinking.

          _No._ She told herself firmly, seeing her house coming up in the distance. _It was just a kiss. That's all it was. Just a kiss._

          Maybe if Rei had turned around when the car was still leaving the mansion, she would've seen a certain blonde man, kick the gravel in front of him in aggravation, muttering the same words that were running through her mind.

          Just a kiss

          And nothing more.

~*chickay*~

(1) Miss, Mister Kaidou is here

(2) God!

Review Review Review! Hehe. Hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll have the next ones out in a while.


	12. Unexpected

A/N: I have returned! Major kudos to KKJeane for your input of the Meus instead of Mea in the title. Granted, you gave that suggestion about how long ago now? Oh welch. In any case, thanks for the correction. Eek! Sorry to my dedicated fans but I lost my muse a while ago and I was just not in the mood to write anything. However, rejoice my dear readers! I have found my muse once more and he has been most helpful in distracting me from my daily troubles and redirecting me back to my writing.

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Unexpected

            "So what's this I hear about you and some guy you met at a bar?"

            The man heard no human reply to his question, only the rhythmic pattern of clanging pots and something boiling over a fire. His face turned into one of annoyance.

            "Hey!" He slammed his hand down on the counter, trying to get the young girl's attention. "Are you listening to me?"

            Once more, no one called back and the sounds of activity continued without interruption. He growled, rolling his eyes.

            "Yo, Lita!" He almost shouted. There was a shift in the kitchen and soon a head poked out of the door. She had stains of flour on her cheeks, holding a ladle in one hand and a dreamy look on her face.

            "Hmm?" She muttered distractedly. "Did you say something, Kenny?"

            "Oh, nothing." He said sarcastically. "Absolutely nothing."

            Lita raised an eyebrow. "Someone's feeling cranky today."

            "Not so much cranky as annoyed right now." Ken Maxwell shot back. Lita pursed her lips in an effort to look thoughtful.

            "Girl troubles again, buddy?" She teased.

            Ken snorted. "What girl?"

            Lita looked mildly surprised. "What about Lizzie? I thought you two were still going out."

            Ken waved his hand in the air. "Out, in, on, off. I can't really tell with that girl."

            Lita smirked. "What else is new? C'mon in."

            She motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen. It was empty right now. Mr. Kino (Senior) was out on some business negotiations that day so the restaurant was closed, leaving Lita free reign over the domain. 

            "So what's up?" Lita asked, inspecting the soup in one of her pots on the stove. "You seem upset."

            "Now whatever could have given you that idea?" Lita glared at the sarcasm, pointing her ladle at him threateningly.

            "Watch it, Kenny." She growled. "This," She motioned to the stove. "Is your lunch so at least try to be nice, okay?"

            Ken walked over behind her and caught the strong, delicious whiff of her cooking. The smell was absolutely addictive. The thin, spiced scent of the soup overwhelmed his nostrils and the slowly-baking pie in the oven was more than enough to drive him wild. Lita smirked superiorly at the dreamy, drooling expression on his face, tilting her head high, proud. "There is more to fact that I'm his granddaughter that Grandfather made me his apprentice."

            "I'll say," Ken muttered, still intoxicated by the scents.

            "Now," Lita let the top of the pot clatter loudly, turning to face Ken. "What were you ranting at me about?"

            "Huh?" Lita held back the giggle and settled for a smirk as Ken donned a dumb expression, obviously still entranced by the smells of the kitchen. Sensing her silent teasing, he snapped back to reality with a sharp shake of his head. "Oh yeah." He leaned over the counter separating them as Lita chopped up more vegetables inquiringly. "You know, me and Grams have been talking a lot lately."

            Lita paused, her knife in mid-chop, to look up at Ken's tone. It was a slithery one that she didn't trust, even if their ties were stronger than just first cousins. Her brows furrowed.

            "Just what are you getting at, Kenny-boy?" She demanded. 

            To her surprise, Ken held up one hand, four fingers spanning out. "Four things, baby cousin.

            You. Club. Last weekend. Bartender." He pronounced, clenching in one finger with every sentence. He leaned back on the stool he sat on. "Care to explain?" He questioned cockily. "Grams refused to let on anything."

            "What ever happened to Grandmother-Granddaughter confidentiality?" Lita muttered darkly, slamming her knife down harshly in a murderous manner that would've frightened anyone else other than Ken.

            "Went down the drain right along with courtesy at weddings of annoying relatives." Ken chirped, carefully watching his cousin.

            "And I still don't know why you dragged me to that thing." Lita grumbled, unhappily recalling the things she had to endure at one of Ken's cousins on his father's side of the family's wedding. All the make-up, those ridiculous heels and OH! Don't even get her started on the dress.

            "You know what I wanna know, Lita?"

            "Why you can't get a steady girl?" Lita teased. Ken glared at her before bestowing himself an arrogant look.

            "Oh that's easy." He gave a dramatic sigh. "There are just too many clamoring for my debonair affection that I can't bear to break all their hearts."

            There was an eerie silence in the kitchen before it was broken by the bouts of laughter coming from the hysterical Lita.

            "Kenny..." She managed to say in between laughs. "You're a riot."

            "Yeah yeah yeah." Ken muttered, watching Lita wipe a tear away from her eyes. "So, are you actually going to tell me what happened?"

            Lita paused for a moment, her laughter dying down as she saw how serious Ken was. At his expression she faked a smile and picked up her knife, chopping. "Nothing."

            Ken arched an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

            "What? Do you need a hearing aid or something?" Lita snapped. "I said nothing happened."

            "Uh-huh." Ken said, obviously unconvinced. There was a long pause of silence. "So...you gonna tell me what happened or what?"

            The laughter ceased and Ken caught the look of pain that rarely reached his cousin's face. Ten minutes later found them in nearly the same positions in the kitchen. Except now, Lita was raving about, pacing back and forth, waving her hands expressively while Ken sat, listening.

            "And I don't even know why I'm getting so upset!" Ken said nothing but watched Lita, throwing her apron down on the table and dropping to the stool in defeat. "It's so ridiculous that I'm even thinking about him now, Kenny! Ridiculous!

            I spent less than two hours with the man and here I am, sulking about his engagement and ugh!" Lita slammed down on the counter in front of her, letting out a strangled scream, muffled when she covered her head with her forearms. Ken still said nothing but reached out a hand on lay on her arm in comfort.

            "Kenny, what the hell is wrong with me?" Lita raised her head up slightly on the counter, revealing her somber green eyes. "What the hell coerces me to choose the most ineligible guys on the planet?"

            "Are we referring to this new guy or Freddy?" The minute the name left his mouth, Lita's head shot up in attention and Ken found himself subject to the dangerous glare.

            "Don't ever mention that man's name in my presence." The words were said slowly and deliberately. Venom was laced along her voice, a tone that she had never used with Ken. A sympathetic expression crossed his features and he got off his stool, coming over to her, giving Lita a hug from behind. 

            "Lita, you know I love you." Ken said as she relaxed into his hug. Ken always had a way of calming down Lita whenever she was going through a rough time. Like whenever her parents left after their month-long visits to their only daughter. Not to mention that incident with Freddy...but that was a different manner. "Freddy was a complete idiot and I just don't want you ending up in the same situation as last time. You do remember don't you?"

            There was a slight pause on Lita's part before she said, just about a whisper. "How could I forget?" She heaved a sigh at the memory of the red-haired man that she had trusted so much. A sudden smile touched her face and she turned around in Ken's arms. "Thanks, cuz." She said gratefully. "I'm glad I have you."

            "Happy to be here." Ken replied chirpily. "After all, what would you be without-"

            "Hellloooo??" The two turned to the door separating the kitchen from the rest of the restaurant, surprised at the calling. Lita turned to Ken harshly.

            "Did you lock the front door?" The guilty expression on Ken's face answered and exasperated her. However, she had no time to rant when the door to the kitchen swung open. "Anybody here? Oh!"

            Lita's eyes widened as she saw the woman step into the kitchen. _'Oh God, why me?'_

            "Hey, it's you!" Bethany cried with oblivious glee before turning around to talk to someone behind her. "Nicky, guess who's here?"

~*~*~*~*~

            Nicholas Anza was not having a good day. He had to forcefully shove a drunkard out of the club the other night and for a guy that had drowned one too many drinks, the jerk could throw one hell of a punch. Throughout his class, he had to endure a couple of curious stares at the black eye that was now calming down slightly on his face. However, when Bethany practically tackled him after his classes and insisted they meet up with a caterer, Nicholas had insisted that they would have time later on. And, yet again, he found himself in her car as she violated about three traffic laws in less than five minutes.

            "Beth," He tried to appeal to her. "Are you sure this couldn't wait? I have a lot of things I need to take care of."

            "Oh, but Nicky." She sighed melodramatically. "I really want us to do this together. It's our wedding remember?"

            Like he could forget. It was at her far too spontaneous episodes that Nick found himself searching his memory of all the reasons he had proposed to her last month. They were currently speeding towards a restaurant Bethany had described as perfect for catering the event. As his fiancé rambled about the success of the restaurant, he managed to smile politely but his mind was wandering off to other places. Like, for example, last weekend at the club. 

            It was really ridiculous when you really came down to it. For the love of God, he was a grown man with a beautiful fiancé and a life ahead of him and here he was besotted by a teenage girl he had spent only maybe two hours with. And yet...

            In the short time that he met the young woman, he had become enamored by her and felt the sensations he was sure would've only came over schoolboys. Lita was beautiful girl, though he would have a while before he'd admit it to himself let alone anyone else. It was a silly notion. It wasn't like he was ever going to-

            "Oof!" They screeched to a stop and Nick was suddenly very grateful for seat belts. As he was shocked back to his chair, he looked up at the building. Kino's Kitchen. He turned back to Bethany.

            "This is the place?" She nodded and he looked back the place skeptically. "Darling, I think it's closed. There's no one in there."

            "Well, that's not right." Bethany murmured, getting out of the car and walking around to the front doors. "How about that? There's no one inside."

            Nick gave a sigh. He could've been taking care of some of his term papers. "C'mon, Beth. Let's head back. We'll just try again late- Bethany!"

            "What?" Bethany looked at him, slightly annoyed at his outburst.

            "Bethany, what the hell do you think you're doing?" She realized what he was referring to and shrugged.

            "Hey, it's unlocked." She reasoned flippantly. "Maybe someone's inside." Nick groaned, rubbing his face.

            "Beth, do you realize that you're breaking and entering?" Beth shook her head.

            "Not really. It's just entering. There was no need to break anything because the door was already open." Before he could say anything else, she was inside the restaurant.

            "Beth!"

            "Hellloooo??" Nick groaned. Leave it to Beth to stay quiet. "Anybody here? Oh!"

            He stared up at her exclamation and saw that she had opened the door leading to the back of the building, probably the kitchen.

            "Hey, it's you!" Bethany cried, drawing in Nick's curiosity. She suddenly turned around, a huge grin on her face, gesturing for him to come closer. "Nicky, guess who's here?"

            He gave in and followed his fiancé to the back. The delicious smells of the kitchen had no effect on him as his senses were narrowed to the familiar brunette looking like she suddenly realized the world was coming to an end...in the arms of another guy.

            Nick checked his inexplicably flaring temper. He was definitely not having a good day.

~*~*~*~*~

            Lita concluded that she must've committed some very harsh deeds in her past life in order to be punished in this one.

            "-And my mother insisted that we look up Koji Kino first and foremost before we look at any caterers, after seeing all the success this place had but I must admit, I'm very surprised to see you here." Bethany finished her story, eyeing Lita, who managed to keep her forced grin in place like she had been doing for the past ten minutes. Ken was at first confused with the situation but, after learning the newcomers' names, he completely understood the situation...and was very amused.

            "My grandfather is Koji Kino and I'm his apprentice." Lita explained to the woman, carefully averting her eyes from Nicholas, who was standing less than a foot behind his fiancé, a hand loosely wrapped around Bethany. The guy hadn't said anything since he had walked into the kitchen and glimpsed Ken with his arms around Lita. Ken was no fool.

            "Oh! What a coincidence!" Bethany exclaimed. "You're so young, too." She then glanced around, searching for someone. "So...where is he?"

            "Grandfather is currently out of town on business." Lita explained.

            "Oh darn!" When Lita raised an eyebrow at Bethany's disappointed expression, Bethany said, "Well, I'm sure you remember that Nicky and I are engaged? You were at the club last weekend right?"

            A flash of darkness passed Lita's features and she (unconsciously) gripped Ken's hand on her waist for support. "Yes." She said finally. "I was there."

            "Well, we were hoping that he would cater our wedding." Bethany said with a sigh then, looking at Lita, she asked, "Do you know when he'll be back?"

            "Not until the end of the weekend." Ken interjected for Lita's behalf. At his statement, he found himself the subject of a very curious look from the other man in the room.

            "I'm sorry you came here for nothing." Lita managed to say aloud, but Ken managed to catch the subtle relief in her statement. It was understandable. It would appear that his darling cousin was more than infatuated with this Nicholas character and if their Grandfather was involved in the wedding, it would have very disastrous results on Lita's behalf.

            Thank goodness he choose that weekend to roam outside of the city...

            "Lita? Why on earth is the front door open?" The eerily familiar booming voice had Lita turning paler than death itself. The two newcomers turned to the door, where the source of the voice was approaching quickly. "Haven't I told you a million times before to make sure it's locked when I'm not in town? For heaven's sake, you would think after all these years..."

            The grumbling trailed off as the door swung open and a tall man stood in the doorway, surveying the occupants of the room. He was of tall build, a trait he passed off to his son who, in turn, passed it off to Lita. His hair that had once been a jet black shade had futilely tried to stand against the tide of time though the white mass on his head contained scarce black strands. 

            "Grandfather!" Lita exclaimed, her eyes widening in something resembling horror and surprise. "What are you doing here?"

            "Well, I own the place don't I?" Koji Kino demanded indignantly.

            "Well, yes." Lita replied quickly. "I meant, why aren't you at the business meeting?"

            Her grandfather shook his head disdainfully, tugging at the tie around his neck. "Waste of my time, quite frankly. Boys over there just wanted to talk about me selling the restaurant- Which I assured them I would never do." He added quickly once he saw the look on his granddaughter's face. "Quickest meeting I've had in a long time." He gave a slight groan, rubbing a sore spot behind his neck. Old age was catching up to him and those airplane chairs did not help whatsoever. When he looked up, his granddaughter was watching him apprehensively. What was wrong with the girl. She looked like she had just seen a ghost. Before he could make a statement, however, he inhaled a familiar scent, one that had the tendency to invade his own house every so often when his wife was in a good mood. "Lita, you might want to check on that pie of yours." He gave a small smile as his granddaughter practically raced to the oven. In her absence, he got a full look at the man standing behind him. "And what the hell do you think you're doing here?"

            Ken gave a smirk. "Just hanging around."

            "Don't you have to be at school or something?" Mr. Kino demanded. He outwardly thought as much of Ken as he did for Ken's father, which wasn't really much to begin with. But the mere fact that he was family was enough for Old Man Kino to overlook that Ken was not a Kino himself, but nonetheless his grandson.

            "It's called a weekend." Ken shot back lazily.

            "Hard to tell." The older man shot back. "You're over here practically everyday, distracting my student from her work."

            "Awe, c'mon." Ken said lightly, smiling as always. "It's not like she minds the company."

            "You call it company, I call it annoying." Mr. Kino gave a weary growl and then turned, finally seeing the couple that he had somehow overlooked at his entrance. "And who are you?"

            The woman in the front stepped up with a happy-go-lucky expression on her face.

            "Hello Mr. Kino." She said, holding out a hand in greeting. "My name is Bethany Rogers and I am so glad that you're here."    

            In all honesty, Mr. Kino was too absorbed as to what was this girl's true hair color, black or blue, to really hear her greeting. Then again, Lita's friend, what was it? Ami(?) had blue hair the last time he checked. What was it with teens today?

            "A pleasure." He said aloud, taking her hand. She turned around to reach out to a man behind her. This one had hair longer than his granddaughter's, tied up at the nape of his neck and one ear pierced. What an odd couple.

            "And this is Nick, my fiancé." _They're engaged. Well, that makes sense_. Mr. Kino thought with an outward smile as Bethany paused, watching them shake hands before continuing. "You probably don't remember but this business catered my mother's wedding and she insisted that I come here first and foremost to see if you were available for the job..."

            Mr. Kino nodded, taking in the information before asking the couple to step into his office. Lita did not turn around from her position at the stove, almost afraid to turn around and face the man that she was sure was looking at her at the moment (which he was, though Ken was the only one to observe it). Only when the door leading to her grandfather's office shut did she breathe a sigh of relief.

            "Damn, baby cuz." Ken whistled. "You really know how to pick 'em."

            He was answered by a harsh slap on his arm. "Don't even start, Kenny." Lita muttered angrily, distractedly running her fingers through her hair. "This is really not good."

            "Oh, c'mon." Ken said, trying his best to reassure her. "Don't sweat it. You don't even know if Gramps will accept the invitation."

            "Oh, heaven forbid." Lita groaned at the thought. "Ken, do you have any idea what I'll have to deal with if Grandfather accepts?

            "You'll be stuck dealing and catering the wedding of a man whom you've become infatuated with practically overnight?" Ken's dry humor was rewarded with another punch. "Ow! Geez. You asked, I answered."

            "I didn't want you to be so damn truthful." Lita seethed. 

            "The truth will set you free." Ken declared dramatically. "Either that or it'll screw you over till next week."

            Lita groaned again, rubbing her temples. Ken recognized the signs that his cousin was losing it like she had some times ago and did what he always did: gave her another hug. It was always like that with Lita and Ken. Ken's mother and Lita's father were incredibly close in their youth and it would only be expected that Lita and Ken follow the tradition. Ken had through a childhood with very few happy memories of his father and Lita had the same amount of memories with both of her parents, who were always globetrotting. They were probably the only stable things in each other's lives, aside from their loving grandparents.

            "Ease up, kid." He said comfortingly. "You'll be fine." There was a sound in the direction of their Grandfather's office and Ken glanced at his watch. "Hey, I've got to run. See you at home?"

            "Ahem." The two turned, seeing that their grandfather and their guests had returned. Bethany's elated smile told Lita of events to come though the glare in Nick's eyes was only caught by Ken, who smirked in reply.

            "Lita, meet our newest clients."

            As Lita's mind went down in a spiral, she was only consoled by the thought that once you hit rock bottom, the only way to go was up. It would not be long until she would see just how wrong she was.

~*~*~*~*~

            "Thank you for choosing our airline, sir." Darla said sweetly, flashing the dashingly handsome man her best flight attendant smile.

            "Believe when I say it's been a pleasure." The man replied smoothly, leaning closer. His cologne was invigorating and Darla lost herself in those gorgeous baby blue eyes half-hidden by dirty blonde hair.  _Oh! Damn he is fine!_

            "-And we're so glad we're finally here." _And taken._ Darla thought sadly as a hand snaked around the man's arm. The red-haired woman gave the two of them an annoyed look before muttering her adieus and snatching the man away. "We are never riding there again." 

            "Oh, c'mon baby." The man laughed, bringing his arms around the woman affectionately, dousing her sulky disposition. "She didn't hold a candle to you."

            The woman smirked. "Damn straight."

            They continued laughing as they came outside the airport. The California sun silenced them and there was nostalgic pause over the couple.

            "Do you think we're doing the right thing?" The woman whispered, almost afraid to say it aloud. She turned to her male companion inquiringly.

            He sighed, messing up his hair. She would just have to fix it later. "I hope so baby." They heard their names and turned to see their fellow flight companions nearby, loading bags into two taxis. "I really hope so."

            "She has a lot to answer for." The woman said softly, her hazel eyes wandering off in the distance. Such a big city. It was hard to find this place. It will be harder to track her down.

~*chickay*~

Thank you all soo much for everyone that has reviewed. You have really kept me going and I apologize if this wasn't the best chapter but I assure you your patience will not be wasted. Stay tuned for more drama and revelations.


	13. Not So Picture Perfect

AN: So…yeah. How many months has it been now? Whoops. Eh, sorry guys. Everything's just gone crazy over here and I enetered a major lazy streak once APs were over. BTW, to all who dare to read upon the hell that is AP European History: TURN BACK AND RUN!

Anyways… Once again, I am very sorry that I put you all through this long wait. My old method was just updating the story if I have at least ten reviews per chapter. However, I think I'll have to ditch that option because I really want to finish this story for those who have been following the whole plot from the beginning.

So here is my newest update. Kunthan will appear to not be the calm, collected person we're used to seeing but, just youwait. Believe it or not, there is a reason behind my insanity. Also, I apologize if it's too lengthy for a lot of you, in fact, this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written for this story. But I've actually been writing scenes I could make up on the top of my head but I just never got around to filling in the blanks until now. Well, read, review, and I really hope you enjoy.

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Not-So Picture Perfect

Renowned photographer Desiree Scott raised her spiked head from behind the camera to give her model a wide smile. They had just begun the shoot and Jasmin, the model, was doing fabulously.

"Alright, love. Go get into the next one and we're halfway done with this first line."

Jasmin, the model, flashed a huge smile and nodded, leaving with a flock of people gathering around her as she entered a nearby room. Desiree was adjusting her camera settings when she noticed a glint of platinum blonde hair off to the side. She looked up with a grin.

"'ey there, Tsukino!" The young woman turned to look at Desiree and relief washed over her face as she straggled over to where Desiree was standing. Almost immediately, Serena dumped an armload of equipment at her feet. Desiree's grin widened. "I'm not workin' ya too hard, am I?"

Serena shot her a hard look. "Of course not." She replied sarcastically.

Desiree gave a depressed swoon. "Oh well, guess I'll just have to try harder." Serena glared at her and Desiree laughed, leaning over to give her a pat on her shoulder. "Ah, c'mon, you. This is all good for you. You need the experience anyway."

"I do need experience." Serena muttered. "Not hard labor."

"Pish posh." Desiree scoffed, leaning over the equipment Serena had to lug from Desiree's car up the studio and through a labyrinth of sets and photographers. "Work is good for you."

Desiree flashed Serena a grin at her exasperated sigh and bent over to pick up two rolls of film, holding them up to Serena. "Which one?"

Serena glanced at the two, noting one was black and white and the other was color. "Depends on what you're shooting."

"Forget what I'm shooting." Desiree shot back quickly. "What occasions would you use either?"

Serena didn't hesitate. "For shooting fashion like this, I'd have to stick with the color to make a stark contrast to the background, making the model and the clothes stand out." She paused and Desiree nodded approvingly. "As for black and white, they have the greater effect on mood pieces and emphasize more on emotions and the audience can see the tiniest details of the photo."

Desiree grinned. "I knew I'd like you."

Serena shook his head. This woman was almost as exasperating as her aunt and uncle…a quality she found intriguing and scary at the same time. Desiree had approached her after seeing a photograph she had taken a few months ago. She had been flattered and apprehensive. For God's sake, the woman nearly ran her over the first time she met her. Less than twenty minutes after her flight had landed in California, Serena was nearly run over by the spunky photographer outside the airport. Right now, Desiree called on her to adjust the lighting and props on the set and leaned against her camera, drumming her fingers in impatience.

"Where is that girl?" It was natural for some of the models Desiree had worked with to take twenty minutes to get ready but Jasmin was hardly one to take her sweet time. At that moment, it seemed as if a glimmer of sunlight had penetrated the set as Mina Aino glided into the room. Her cheeks were rosy and she seemed out of breath. Desiree raised an eyebrow. "Mina, darling." She greeted the young blonde that she had worked with since Mina was eight years old with a kiss on the cheek. "What on earth are you doing here? Aren't you working with Ramon today?"

Mina looked up from her panting and stared at Desiree with a confused expression. "What are you talking about? Ramon's assistant got a call saying you needed me here pronto."

"What?" Desiree frowned and looked over her shoulder and Mina winced as she suddenly shouted, "Sydney! What the hell is going on around here?"

A harried-looking woman with bobbed, dirty blonde hair seemed to appear out of nowhere. She took one glance at Mina and an annoyed Desiree and promptly groaned. "I can't believe Jeremy didn't tell you. He is so on desk duty from now on." She muttered, mostly to herself. She looked up at the two. "Jas got a call during the change time. Long story short: Family emergency. Everyone starts to panic and it just so happens that I remembered that Mina was going over a couple of photos for the new ad Ramon was doing. So I called her over and viola, she arrives."

Serena was fiddling with the lights and turned at the familiar name. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Mina!"

Mina turned at her name and spotted her friend nearby. "Serena?"

Desiree watched with amused eyes as the teenagers embraced. She arched an eyebrow as they pulled away. "I take it you two know each other."

Both turned to look at her but Mina was the one to speak. "Yeah." She smiled fondly at her friend. "Serena and I go to school together."

"That's great." Desiree smiled. "It's also a convenience. You." She pointed at Serena. "Fill her in and I'll be back in a jiffy." And then Desiree disappeared with her cell phone in hand.

Mina beamed at her friend. "Geez, Serena. What are you doing here?"

Serena nodded towards Desiree. "Desiree's taken me in as her apprentice. "

"Seriously?" Mina's surprised tone had Serena laughing.

"Yeah. Why are you so surprised?"

Mina shrugged. "Well, it's just that Desiree's refused taking in anyone to work as her assistant for years." She gave a wry smile. "I guess I was right about you the first time. You do have some hidden talent."

Serena laughed, recalling what Mina had told her on the very first day they had met and ushered Mina into the next room, where the model was bombarded with makeup artists and faced with a wardrobe that seemed to stretch from one end of the room to the other. Mina explained that while she had been doing modeling for part-time, she was working towards a designing career and often managed to get her own creations in the spotlight. Her prominence was evident in the stares and whispers of the other photographers and models in the room.

At that moment, Desiree walked back into the room, looking flustered. "I can't believe this crap." She was muttering. "I always specifically request a back-up model every time I do a shoot and yet here I am without one."

"What are you complaining about?" Serena asked. "You've got Mina, don't you?"

Desiree waved an uncaring hand through the air. "I know. I know. But still…" Here, Desiree frowned. "I can't shake the feeling that I'm completely forgetting something."

There was a moment of silence as Serena looked at Desiree, still furrowing her brows in futile concentration. It was at that point that Mina walked out into the scene. Clad in a stunning red dress with her hair done into a messy bun, Mina had the I-just-had-great-sex-and-still-look-hot look down to an art. Serena was mildly surprised to see minimal make-up on her friend's face. Mina was one of those people whom make-up was mere icing on the three-layered cake. Of course, Serena was one of those people herself, though she hardly took time to notice since she was too busy rushing out of the house every morning to really pay attention to her own looks.

Desiree smiled widely at Mina. "Well, come on, honey! We need to get this show on the road and fast." As Mina nodded and got into position, Serena turned to her teacher and was concerned by the look on Desiree's face.

"Des," Serena said. "Are you okay?"

Desiree was still frowning but nodded absently. "Sure. It's just that I can't shake the feeling like I'm forgetting something very important."

"Do you mean the male model that's supposed to be coming?" Serena asked. The said model was supposed to be turning up in about an hour or so.

"No, no," Desiree murmured distractedly. I know for sure he's coming but…" She trailed off, frowning hard in an effort to recall something. "God. What the hell is it?"

"What the hell is what?" Mina was looking at the duo curiously. She was standing on the set, wondering what was the hold up. Desiree smiled wryly.

"Nothing, princess." She said. Desiree got behind her camera. "Now shut your trap and start smiling."

Mina stuck her tongue out childishly at the photographer right when Desiree snapped the first picture. Mina gave a sound mixed between indignant and surprise but the smile never left her face. Serena went around, adjusting the lights whenever Desiree (a.k.a. the Slave driver) told her to. However, she managed to keep one eye on her friend, spinning in front of the camera and striking poses that would be blown up in ads to be seen all over the city. Mina was truly born to be in the spotlight.

This continued for the next hour. Desiree called for a change every now and then and Mina, with her experience, change quickly and efficiently without wasting too much time. By the end of the hour, Desiree was back on the schedule and had gone through three of the six lines of clothing she needed to do. Desiree paused, having used up her film.

"Mina," She said. "You are a lifesaver!"

Mina only laughed and blushed gracefully. She gave a bow. "At your service, my liege."

"Damn straight." Desiree snapped. "Now hurry and get changed. We've still got a couple more shots to take care of."

Mina mock-saluted her and went back to the make-up room.

"Wow." Serena breathed. "She's really good."

"Of course she is." Desiree beamed with pride. "I've been taking care of that kid for a long time. She's always been a natural for this line of work."

Serena nodded. "I can tell."

At that exact moment, there was a loud slam that reverberated through the walls of the studio. Everyone turned to the direction of the loud noise. Desiree frowned, annoyed.

"What the hell?"

Angry heels made sharp clicking sounds as they stomped on the floor and several people jumped out of the way of the intruder, parting like the Red Sea. Speaking of the color red…

"No fucking way." Serena and Desiree looked at each, surprised that the same words had left their mouths at the same time. They pointed at each other, almost accusingly. "You know her?"

In their surprise, they almost didn't acknowledge the seething redhead that was now towering over them.

** "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"**

Almost.

* * *

Mina glanced up at the loud slam she heard.

"I wonder what that was." She murmured. Gina, the makeup artist, cupped her cheek and gently tugged it forwards.

"Mina," She drawled. "You know better than to move. Now hold still. It was probably someone being stupid enough to drop some camera equipment."

The young blonde nodded slightly and held still. Normally, she wouldn't even think to wear makeup. She found it gunky and always felt like mud on her face; really, really dirty, sticky mud that she wasn't allowed to get rid of.

Unbeknownst to Mina, her face had twisted into one of annoyance. Gina looked at her bemused. "Darling," She said. "I know you hate this stuff but this is my job."

Mina blushed, realizing the face she must've pulled. "Sorry, Gina."

"No problem." The makeup artist turned, picking up the eye shadow. "So tell me hon. How's life for you lately?"

"So-so." Mina replied, closing her eyes to let Gina apply the makeup. "Actually, my sister came home a couple of weeks ago."

"Really?" Gina's lip curled in amusement. They had tried to put Haruka in modeling a while. 'They' being the Aino couple. Of course, only one shot was ever developed that day of the girl. It was of the younger Aino twin, wearing a large grin with makeup smeared on her ripped dress as well as a lot of powder all over her face and arms. Gina never really forgot that day. Dear God. Was she really that old? "How long has it been?" Gina wondered aloud. "I haven't seen your sister in the longest."

"About almost a year." Mina replied. Gina stopped her brush of a stroke abruptly, causing Mina to open her eyes in question. "Gina?"

"It's nothing really." Gina said. "But I could've sworn I saw her in town just a couple of months ago."

Mina frowned but didn't say anything. Gina suddenly shook her head, laughing. "Oh, don't mind me. I must really be getting old if I'm seeing things now."

"Yeah." Mina said distractedly. "Maybe…"

A strangely familiar voice caught Mina's attention and she opened her eyes to see a strange sight on her mirror. A young man was struggling against some rather tall police officers, arguing about something.

"…Hey! I just wanna see her!"

"And we're sorry sir but you cannot go in without a pass."

"Geez. I can't even see my own sister? What the hell is this?"

"Mina! Wait!" Gina was confused when her subject suddenly leapt up to her feet and dashed out of the room.

* * *

Kunthan couldn't believe this bullshit. He promised his aunt he could keep an eye on his sister and yet these idiots were trying to keep him out. He'd been arguing with them back and forth for the last ten minutes.

"Look," He all but growled. "Just call her over. She'll identify me if that's what you really need."

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to leave." The officer said stubbornly.

It took a lot of Kunthan's strength to resist punching this guy's lights out. Oh the temptation.

"Excuse me, officer." A soft voice cut into the fray. All eyes turned to the newcomer and Kunthan recognized her as one of Serena's friends. The officers bowed their heads respectively, each sporting blushes on their cheeks. The girl, however, seemed to let the action roll over her like air. She was looking at Kunthan. "Kunthan, right?"

Kunthan nodded dumbly. _'What the hell?'_ He shouted at himself. _'Some words would be nice!'_ He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. You're Mina, right?"

How could he really forget her? The girl had turned and ran for the hills the second she set sights on him. The blonde nodded, absentmindedly clutching at her terry white robe. She then nodded at the officers.

"Let him through." Mina said. "He's with me."

Kunthan walked on, slightly dazed. He had been struggling against those men for the past few minutes and one word from this girl granted him easy access. She now held out a hand in greeting, giving him a pleasant smile. "Hi. Nice to see you again."

Kunthan gave her a small smile (a.k.a. a thin line) and shook her hand. "Likewise."

It wasn't a really false statement. He had been confused by Mina when she had taken off the first second he had laid eyes on her at the arcade he had picked up his little sister, Serena, at. Since he had missed her the first time, Kunthan didn't pass up the chance of looking the girl up and down. The last time he had laid eyes on her was when she was in her school clothes. Currently, she was sporting just a robe and flip flops from what he could tell and her long blonde hair was pulled into a clip. Kunthan recalled that this Mina was a model but what were the chances that his sister and she would be in the same studio at the same time? Studying her, Kunthan noted that it would be a shame if she wasn't a model. She obviously had the physique for it.

Kunthan stopped abruptly at the thought that crossed his mind. _'What the-?'_

"..There something wrong?" Kunthan glanced at the blonde woman at his side, who was looking at him curiously. "Is there something wrong?" She repeated.

"No, nothing." He replied strongly. He glanced around, realizing that they had arrived in a make-up room. "Uh, where's my sister?"

He turned around and saw that Mina was leaving his side, walking to a tall woman, who was looking impatient. Mina looked over her shoulder at him. "She's on the set with Desiree. Hold up a few seconds. I'll go with you."

Gina eyed Kunthan with mild interest and then glanced at her charge, applying the blush. "And who, pray tell, is this my dear?"

Mina shot her friend a glare at the innuendo. "Gina, this is Kunthan. He's Serena's older brother."

"Really?" Gina looked amused. "Wow, for someone with a sister with Serena's height, you sure are a giant."

Kunthan only nodded politely. Gina shrugged and, with one final flourish of her brush, stepped aside. "Done. Now hurry up before Desiree gets her thongs in a bunch."

"Gina!" Mina slapped the woman's arm playfully. "That's gross."

Gina just laughed. Mina shook her head and stood up, taking off the robe. Kunthan's first instinct was to look away. Of course, he didn't realize she was even wearing anything under that. The dark blue satin dress was simple and skin tight with thin straps and the hem came a good way above her knees. Certain people would've made the dress look skanky. Mina, however, made the picture of a young seductress. The blue shade of the dress accentuated her azure eyes beautifully. Mina grasped the jewelry laid out for her shot and tugged her hair out of the clip. Another person came up to strategically place jeweled clasps in her hair. She turned around to face Kunthan, slipping on designer shoes.

Kunthan didn't bother to deny the thought that crossed his mind. Mina looked beautiful.

She was also squirming underneath his gaze. She didn't know what was it about the man but he seemed to have this hold over her that made her want to ease away from his look. But why, though? Mina was in a cut-throat business where it was every model for herself. Why would his thoughts over her appearance matter. Perhaps, she thought, it was because he was a man who bore a strikingly eerie resemblance to…

Kunthan temporarily thought that the girl's eyes had turned to ice. Geez. What had he done to deserve such a glare? She looked as though he just pulled the head off her favorite doll or something.

Mina abruptly broke the eye contact and spun on her heel. "Desiree and Serena are this way."

Kunthan nodded good-bye to Gina and followed her through another door. He didn't even get a chance to go through because he rammed straight into Mina. He frowned.

"Mina…?" He stopped when he saw her face. An icy mask had slipped over her features. Kunthan mentally wondered if this was to be his punishment: To be dealt with a girl who seemed to have his same detached demeanor. Well, it had been his detached demeanor. He had ditched that unfriendly personality back in Japan. He looked up at the scene Mina was looking at and frowned.

_'What the hell…?'_

* * *

Desiree and Serena seemed to be sharing the same thought at this point: Beryl Sinclair had arrived and she was out for blood.

"…Uh, helloooo?" The redhead was saying haughtily. "This was supposed to be my line to model anyways yet you gave it to that Jasmin chick. What the hell were you thinking when you did that anyway?"

"I was thinking of what the 'Dusk' client was asking for their ads." Desiree calmly replied though Serena could make out a twitch. "And I do believe that you should know by now that I require all of my back-up models to be present from the beginning to the end of a shoot."

"Who gives a damn?" Beryl snapped. "You could've called me on my cell anyways."

"And make my crew wait for your royal highness to arrive?" Desiree demanded sarcastically. "As if." She propped her fists on her hips. "And I would advise you to not raise your voice, Beryl."

The name was said condescendingly and did not escape the proud ears of the redhead in front of her. "I am not 'raising my voice', as you say it." Beryl said shrilly, imitating the quotation marks in the air with her fingers on both hands. "And this was supposed to be my shoot from the beginning and nevertheless you keep on choosing these second-raters."

The words 'you' and 'these' were spoken with disgust and contempt and Serena spotted Mina across the set and the two shot each other looks. Both looked annoyed though Mina's expression held the look of flaring defiance. Boy, if looks could kill, Beryl would've been six feet under and halfway to hell.

"I would strongly advise you to choose your words wisely." Desiree said slowly and deliberately.

"And you ought to know how to choose your workers wisely." Beryl retorted. She had spotted Serena and practically snarled at the girl but kept her distance. She had definitely not forgotten the bruise the girl had given her weeks ago in the girl's bathroom.

"Beryl," Serena wondered how someone so professional and sweet like Desiree could have such a slithery voice. Desiree was definitely not happy at this point. Her short, spiked hair looked like horns and her light brown eyes gained a golden glint, resembling shards of a broken mirror. "I do hope you change you attitude the next time you have to do a shoot." The corners of Desiree's mouth turned up in a grim smirk. "Envy is really not your color."

The redhead looked positively scandalized and more pissed off than usual, her violet eyes locking into Desiree's hazel ones. The older woman, of course, had no intention of backing down from this little spoiled brat. She had insulted Desiree's choice of models, her apprentice, her work, and was now in some delusional state if she believed that she could insult a close companion of Desiree and get away with it.

Desiree's eyes shifted, catching sight of her friend. Beryl, however, also followed her eyes. Beryl's face twisted into pure hatred.

"Her?" She shrieked. "Out of all the people in this damned world you pick that prude for my slot?!"

Desiree's hand shot out like a rocket, grabbing the girl's collar and bringing it dangerously close to her. "Better a prude than a spoiled brat." She spat.

Serena, for one, was grateful that Desiree did what Serena had wanted to do for the last five minutes that Beryl had managed to plague the set with her cheap perfume. However, all were distracted by another swing of the doors. A group of chattering girls was surrounding a single male who was walking like he owned the place.

"I guess that must be the male model." Serena said but stopped short when she saw the look on Desiree's face.

"Shit!" Desiree swore softly. "Now I remember!"

Mina had also looked in the direction and found herself glued to the spot. She should've known. Only Ace Victorius would carry around a groupie troupe to a shoot. She immediately brought a hand to her face, both to rub her tired temples and hide her face. In doing so, she turned around and promptly collided with Kunthan's (very broad) chest. Kunthan frowned down at her.

"Mina?"

"Shh!" She hastily whispered, motioning her hands wildly. "They might see me!"

Kunthan had to chuckle. "Yes," He drawled teasingly. "And in that get-up you're practically invisible."

Mina slapped the chest in front of her. "Hush!"

But it was too late. The blonde man in the center of his groupies had spotted her. A sly grin crept up on his face.

"Well, well, well," He said lightly. "If it isn't Mina Aino."

Kunthan had looked up at the sound of the other man's voice and found himself filled with the urge to smack that smirk off his face. However, that face had a very strange resemblance to his own. Mina uttered a curse then took a deep breath to brace herself, and then turned around, meeting eye-to-eye with the man who had been the thorn in her side for the past few months.

"Ace." The name was said with the icy coolness of a glacier.

A malicious glint entered Beryl's violet eyes as she took in the scene. She turned her sharp gaze on Mina.

"Sure you can handle this, Mina, dear?" Those last words might as well have been oral poison to whomever it was directed against. Serena and Kunthan looked from a worried Desiree to a smug Ace to a vindictive Beryl to a very tense Mina.

"Shut up, Beryl." Desiree muttered, walking over to Mina. "Mina," Mina's name was said softly and she turned to Desiree's understanding glance. The older woman sighed, leaning over to take Mina's hands comfortingly. "I understand if you don't want to go through with this."

There was a pause and Mina tore her eyes from Desiree's. Slowly, she nodded silently. Beryl's ears, sharp for hearing gossip, caught every word and she grinned cheekily. Desiree sighed. There would be hell to pay.

"Beryl, go to makeup." Desiree said tiredly. Beryl gave a triumphant smirk as she passed by Mina, Desiree, and Kunthan. Kunthan caught Gina's expression when Beryl walked through her door and plopped on her chair. She looked like death warmed over. Desiree glanced back at Ace, glowering as he was still being cooed over by his fans. "Security!" Mina and Kunthan winced at her loudness. Within seconds, the same guys who had kept Kunthan out came in, awaiting instructions. Desiree pointed to the gander of girls. "Get those groupies out of here. Leave the pretty-boy alone." Without a blink of an eye, they followed her orders. Practically all of the girls protested loudly but were whisked away and all swooned when Ace turned and blew them a kiss. Desiree rolled her eyes. "Ace! You, too! Go Giovanni for wardrobe."

With a Crest-worthy smile, he walked away. But not before looking over his shoulder and making a smacking sound of his lips at Mina's direction. Mina didn't bother to hold her repulsion. Desiree sighed once more.

"Dear God, Mina," She said. "I am so sorry it turned out like this."

"Not at all." Mina smiled reassuringly. She gestured to her outfit. "I guess I better give this back."

"As if." Desiree scoffed. "Take it doll. Consider it compensation for taking up your time and insulting you by giving your slot away to that…" Desiree made a wild hand motion in Beryl's direction, leaving the audience to decipher her meaning. She reached over to a rack and pulled of a long, dark coat. "Here," she said, thrusting it at Mina. Take it. I'd hate for you to catch a cold in that thing."

Mina giggled. "Thanks." She turned to Kunthan. "By the way, this is Kunthan Tsukino, Serena's brother."

Desiree looked at him, obviously surprised. Serena, however, launched herself at the tall man at the instant she realized her brother was in the vicinity.

"Kunthan!" She cried with glee. "I didn't know you were here."

Kunthan smirked and had his sister in a noogie in 0.5 seconds flat. "C'mon kid." He teased against her struggling head. "Whatever happened to paying attention to details?"

"Ugh!" She grumbled. "Kun-than!"

He released his little sister with a laugh and she punched his arm good naturedly. "Geez, you jerk. How'd you get here?"

"Eh, rode my bike over here." He replied.

Desiree arched an eyebrow at him. "A motorcycle?"

Kunthan looked at her. "Yeah. I parked it off to the side of the building."

Mina's ears perked up. "You don't mean in front of that office across the west side of the building do you?"

Both Desiree and Mina were looking at him intently and Kunthan backed up a bit. "Well, yeah." He said. "There really was no other place I could find. What..?"

Mina and Desiree had simultaneously groaned. Mina looked at him with a hint of exasperation.

"Kunthan, your bike is probably half-way to the pound now." Kunthan's icy blue eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"WHAT?"

"You couldn't find a place to park your bike because there isn't ANYWHERE outside this building that you could park." Desiree explained with a groan. "Everyone gets a pass to the parking lot that goes underneath the building! All other vehicles get towed."

The look on Kunthan's face would've been priceless if the situation hadn't been so grating. He let out a steady stream of curses and Serena glared at him.

"…Damn." He muttered, rubbing a hand over his mouth. "How the hell am I supposed to get back to the house?"

There was an odd silence and both Serena and Desiree slowly raised their heads to look at Mina. After a few seconds, she finally noticed what they were hinting at. She sighed.

"Well," Mina began. "I have my car out front…"

"No," Kunthan interrupted. "I couldn't…"

"Look," Mina said frankly. "It's no big deal."

"Yeah." Serena put in. "Kunthan, you get a ride home. And Mina, you need to pick up our report for Chemistry at my house and do the revisions you were meaning to do."

"Hey! It's for the good of everyone." Desiree put in cheerily.

Kunthan looked from one female to another. He learned a long time ago to not even bother trying to argue with a woman, let alone more than one. He smiled at Mina grimly.

"I guess you're my ride." He turned to his sister. "I'll see you back at the house tonight?"

Serena nodded. "Yeah. Take care."

"See ya kiddos!" Desiree called out as Kunthan and Mina were walking over to the entrance. Mina waved back at her friend cheerily but the mood was instantaneously ruined when Ace walked in front of her.

"Mina, darling," He purred. "I certainly hadn't expected to see you on the set but that was definitely a pleasant surprise."

What Mina would've given to deck his pearly whites at that point. His clammy hand was working its way up and down her arm and he was getting closer so that she could increasingly smell the scent of at least five other girls.

"I had been looking forward to meeting that adorable model Jasmin," He was continuing, fiddling with one of the straps on her dress. "But I figure seeing you again will have to do. After all," At this point, he smirked. "We did have some unfinished business."

That was the last straw. Mina's hand had curled into a tight fist without any warning. However she didn't prepare for Kunthan forcibly removing Ace's hand from her shoulder.

"Hey pretty-boy," Kunthan mocked, still gripping onto Ace's offending hand. "You might wanna get back to Gio over there. You've got a cowlick."

Kunthan chuckled, tugging at Mina's arm, leading her away as Ace grasped at his skull for any offending hairs.

"I didn't think you had it in you." Mina commented as she walked over to her car.

"Had what in me?" Kunthan asked as he got into the passenger side.

Mina smirked. "Humor." She giggled at his expression. "Don't get me wrong. I just figured at first glance you'd be one of those really stoic and quiet guys. Like someone who never bothers to make even polite conversation." Mina laughed. "Guess I figured you wrong. What…?"

She had caught Kunthan giving her a strange look. "What? What'd I say?"

Kunthan shrugged, looking back at the road. "Nothing." He glanced at the dashboard as if contemplating something. "You know, I don't recall you driving the last time I saw you."

"Well, I don't bother driving to school since I just either catch the bus or walk." Mina explained.

"I didn't figure you one for walking." Kunthan mused furtively. "After all, the last time you saw me, you looked like hell had broken loose."

A blush crept along her skin. "Eh, sorry about that." She said. "I'm usually not so…fleeting with new people."

"No big." Kunthan said. "Of course, I'm sure it had nothing to do with the detail that I bear some resemblance to that Ace GuuAHHHHHHHHH!! Mina!"

Several cars near them honked angrily when Mina's car swerved. Mina grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"God woman." Kunthan muttered. "Okay, alright. I won't mention him ever again."

Mina laughed despite what could've happened. "Oh geez." She glanced at him quickly. "Was it that obvious?"

Kunthan crossed his arms over his chest. "Sort of. You got that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look when you saw him. You gave me the same look that first day Usagi went to school."

Mina grinned. Pausing, she looked like she was thinking about something before she sighed. "Let's just say that me, Beryl, and Ace have a lot of drama between us." She said. "Suffice to say that if I never saw that dirt bag, it'd be too soon. He's a manipulative ass. Beryl's just as bad if not worse. They'd be perfect for each other. They're disgusting narcissistic jerks."

Kunthan raised his eyebrows in surprise. Her grip on the wheel had tightened substantially and her voice had gone practically deadly. Whatever had happened between them, it was something that Mina was unable or unwilling to let go of. They pulled up at the Cartier in a couple of minutes.

"You know," Mina began as she and Kunthan walked up to the door. "No offense, but for a teacher, your uncle makes pretty good money to live in this neighborhood."

Kunthan grinned. "No offense from here. Actually, he came from a pretty prominent family in France." Kunthan explained. "Plus, my aunt doesn't do half-bad for herself either."

Mina only nodded, stepping into the house. Kunthan walked over to a phone and nodded up the stairs. "Usagi's room is the room to the far left. You can't miss it. It's pink."

Mina followed his directions and grinned at the bunny sign with the name 'Usagi' on the front. She smiled. That was so Serena. She walked in and was mildly surprised to see a pile of school clothes in front of the closet. Spotting a table, she walked over there and looked at the scattered books and papers, wondering how long it would take her to sort all the mess. However, she was grateful to find, after five math papers, their science report. Mina smiled triumphantly and turned to leave.

Perhaps it was fate. Or coincidence. Or just pure dumb luck. Whatever it was, it happened.

As Mina was turning, her designer heel caught on one of Serena's stray shirts, causing her to stumble. Gratefully, the work table was right next to Serena's bed and Mina fell on top of the (unmade) bed instantly. Mina would've been trying to nurse her ankle and curse her shoes but a flying gold object caught her attention first. It must've been on the bed at first and flown off when Mina fell on it. But it was now on the floor. Mina looked at the object, surprised. It was a five-pointed star locket from the looks of things. However, it had an inner circle that had popped open when it hit the floor. The locket played a melody that sounded timeless and sweet to the ears. Mina felt a strange sense of foreboding as she reached over and picked up the locket off the floor. As she did so, however, something fell out.

"What on earth..." Mina murmured, picking up the object. It seemed to be a collection of pink strings tied together by a white ribbon. _'No.'_ Mina thought. _'These aren't strings._' To the touch, they felt like silk threads but… Mina frowned incredulously. "Is this… hair?"

chickay

Don't you just love cliffhangers? No? Well review and let me know.


	14. Quality Time

AN: I honestly thought I was going to squeal when I went over the reviews I got for my last chapter. And soo much thanks to JoCrox for your very flattering review. You have no idea what an ego boost that was. And about that scene, bETA-rEADER. Hehe. Guess you caught me. I had originally written the first part of the story with Kunthan as Desiree's apprentice but switched it to Serena last minute. So...yeah. I missed that thing but thanks so much for pointing it out to me anyway.

Ah…so many questions and I'm not really giving out the answers. Don't worry people. All will be revealed in due time. I've been at this story for over a year and I wouldn't dream of letting down my readers. Hell, I wouldn't be here without them.

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**Meus**** Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

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Quality Time

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Time passed on slowly as the first month of school blurred through a whirl of homework, projects, and after school activities. A cool breeze swept through Ami's short-cut hair. Well, she mused; it was actually getting longer, the tips now lightly brushing against her neck. Ami smiled, leaning back her head and closing her eyes, relishing the much-needed fresh wind after a summer of heat. Fall was finally setting in. Ami opened one eye, peeking at her group of friends. She really was lucky to have them all by her side. Serena was sitting at her left, laughing at something Mina was saying. It seemed strange that it had only been a little over a month since Serena had came to the school and thus became an integral part in their circle.

Throughout their time together, they had come to know Serena as sweet, insightful, somewhat ditzy and usually klutzy; they loved her for all of her attributes. Although, Ami considered, it's even better since she can deal with Beryl on her own. As if to prove to herself her own point, Ami glanced over Serena's shoulder, noting the redhead glaring at Serena with barely-contained hatred as her flunkies fawned over her. The others had learned that Serena was getting into some trouble with Beryl because the redhead felt (for some reason or another) that Serena was a threat to her social dominance at school. Of course, Beryl's ill-concealed jealousy of the attention Dion Crystaal was practically pouring over Serena didn't help much. Despite that fact that Serena had assured them all that Beryl was a menace she could handle and that Dion was a mere buzzing fly by her ear, the girls had all immediately decided that any taunting aimed in Serena's direction were to be diminished quickly and efficiently. When Serena heard them proclaim this at the Arcade one school day, her eyes immediately filled with tears of happy joy and promptly instituted a group hug. Rei had complained that Serena nearly suffocated her, but the satisfied smirk on her face told everyone else otherwise.

Speaking of the raven-haired vixen, Ami looked over at Rei sitting at her right now, who was rolling her eyes and shaking her head at something Mina and Serena were saying to her. Rei seemed a lot more cheerful nowadays. Mostly, Ami suspected, it was because Rei's father was currently out of town on one business trip or another so Rei was currently staying at her grandfather's shrine. But then again, it could also have something to do with the increasingly-frequent meetings between Rei and Jaden Aino. Whenever Mina's older brother was around Rei just seemed to flare with such argumentative passion that the others couldn't help but wonder if there was anything more behind the heated words exchanged between. And Rei couldn't help but scoff at such a thought, even though a faint blush covered her cheeks whenever she denied it.

Ami's eyes now trailed to Lita. Their friend was so depressed recently. After some persuasion, the Amazonian woman broke down and told them the abysmal details of the equally-abysmal situation. The wedding was set in December. It was currently September. A "silly crush" (as Lita herself proclaimed with a bitter edge) would've been easy to dismiss and the other girls were more than willing to try and help their friend move on from an awkward situation with Nicholas Anza, but it was to no avail. Lita insisted that she was fine but no one in their circle could really lie to any of the others. It was killing Lita that she was helping to cater the wedding of a man that she felt she had fallen for to a woman she couldn't really bring herself to hate. Bethany was an angel and quickly becoming a wonderful acquaintance of Lita's whenever they got together to plan out the details of the wedding. As a final resolve, Lita swore to herself that she could and would just have to keep her "silly crush" under control; if not for her sake, then at least for Bethany's.

As for Mina, well… Ami's lip curled into a dry smile as Mina kept on talking animatedly between her friends. The bubbly teen was still as energetic as ever. Mina had told them about the incident at the photo shoot with Ace and Beryl and Serena had pitched in her two cents. Serena, of course, didn't know what the real story was and they all felt equally guilty that she didn't understand what was going on. However, Serena always managed that 'It's okay' smile for her friends. It was up to Mina whenever she was ready to share her story with Serena. No one would dare even consider pushing her.

'_Yes'_, Ami thought,_ 'I really am lucky to have them. All of them…' _And here, her thought trailed off as her eyes locked with his.

He'd been looking at her for some time, half-heartedly listening to Mina bringing in the latest gossip of the day as he sat across from her. He would've initiated some kind of conversation by now but any topics that came to mind were wiped out when he saw her there, eyes half-closed in mellowed bliss, pale pink lips curled into a lazy smile. God, she was beautiful. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Zachary Monroe definitely had it bad. 'It' being the love bug, Love potion no. 9 (though centered on _one_ person only), cupid's arrow stabbed in his ass, the butterflies in the stomach, and the whole shebang and then some. Of course, Ami didn't really have it any better.

The two had been spending a lot of extra time together lately. The subtle change had been noticed by the girls, though thankfully not brought out into the open…at least when Zach wasn't around. Even though the others teased her about it, they all had a feeling that a lot more went down between Ami and Zach in the recent summer than either was willing to let on. Out of respect for both friends, the girls just stopped the teasing short of really into the relationship. And now, the two were just staring at each other. No words or signs or movements were needed for one to let the other know what they were thinking. The only thing that either really had to do was maintain that eye contact so they could practically lose themselves in each others' eyes and just smile. It was simple, silent, peaceful, and looked upon with amused eyes by Serena, Mina, Rei, and Lita.

And then the damn bell had to ring.

Zach smiled as Ami blushed, startled by the noise and left feeling like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Reluctantly, she got up along with everyone else. It wasn't like it was much of the bother anyways. She and Zach had the same classes anyway.

_'Which I still find slightly disconcerting…'_ Ami later thought as she slipped into her bathing suit and grabbed a towel on her way to the school swimming pool. The season was practically over and the school team had made it to the finals. Endless training on Ami's part had driven her to being stuck in the house for the weekend with the flu but she got back up on her feet quick enough to help Zach win the title of State Swim Champions. Mrs. Johansen gave a hearty speech commending both swimmers on their talent, skill and leadership at the victory that had followed. Ami was within viewing range of the pool and could now easily see a figure dashing from one end to the other, muscled arms slicing through the water like air. Feeling like she was coming upon something forbidden even though she had swam with Zach before, Ami decided to stay in the shadows long enough to study the young man. Ami just stood there, smiling dumbly, studying her friend and maybe something more. Zach really was a wonderful person. He was intelligent, witty, and made her smile. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to him. But, of course, they couldn't ignore what happened during their summer together. They had yet to talk about it and Ami was beginning to wonder if they'd ever be able to get all of it out. Someone suddenly called out her name and Ami came out of her hiding place guiltily, feeling Zachary's gaze on her as Mrs. Johansen discussed her times.

Before Ami knew it, she was walking home. She stole a quiet glance at Zachary. He was walking by her, insisting that it was getting late and he should see Ami home just in case.

"It's not very necessary, you know." Ami said. "I'll be fine on my own."

Zach stopped and looked at her, hurt in his eyes that made Ami wince. "You don't want to walk with me?"

"No, not at all." Ami said hastily, reaching out for his wrist to stop him from leaving right then and there. "I'm just saying that I would've been fine on my own. You didn't have to go through this trouble for me."

Zach looked at her with a patronizing look in his eyes before chuckling. "Don't worry about me Ami." He said huskily, making her blush like a tomato. With a smooth flick of his wrist, he laced his fingers with her own. "Believe me," He said, bringing her hand to his lips. "You're worth the trouble."

Zachary smiled, satisfied as Ami stood where she was, blushing furiously and staring at their entwined hands. He loved it when she blushed. It reminded him that she was human, not some goddess that he could never stand a chance with. Although, he sure felt that way plenty of times.

"Zach, I-" Whatever Ami was going to say was cut off when a liquid splattered down on her cheek. For a moment, Zach thought she was crying. Shit. And here he had promised to never make her cry again…

But as it turned out, another drop of liquid landed on his nose seconds later. Before they knew it, the couple was caught in a light drizzle that was threatening to do its worse in a matter of seconds.

"Zach!" Ami called over the increasingly violent rain. "C'mon. My sister's place is just around the corner. Come on!"

Without really thinking about it, she tightened her grip on Zach's hand, tugging him as she made a head-way for Michelle's penthouse. She slammed the door of the building behind her, panting from her run. She glanced at Zachary, dismayed.

"Oh no." Ami reached over and felt Zach's shirt soaked through. "Oh Zach…"

"It's okay, Ami." Zach said. "You shouldn't have to apologize."

"Well I should." Ami said. "You're so far away from home because you had to walk me home."

"I didn't have to walk you home." Zach pointed out. "I did it because I wanted to."

"Oh who gives?" Ami said, annoyed. "Come on up." She reached out for the elevator before he could even say anything. "Stay until the rain is through then Michi can give you a ride back."

Ami entered the dark penthouse in a manner of minutes. "Michi?" She called out, fumbling for the light switch. "I'm home and AHHH-"

"SURPRISE!!!"

Zachary laughed right out loud as an equally drenched Ami practically leaped back, one hand patting her heart to make sure it was still beating and the other on her mouth. "Surprised?" She didn't even have to turn around to see the smirk on his face as she took in the decorations, her sister Michelle, Mina, Rei, Lita, Serena, and friends on the swim team that were all scattered before her, all wearing wide smiles.

Mina stepped up, grinning from ear to ear. "Took you long enough."

Still, Ami was at a loss for words so Michelle stepped up, taking her sister's hands and kissing her on the cheek. "It was Serena's idea." Her older sister explained, eyeing the blonde behind Ami with mild interest. So _this_ was the famous Zachary Monroe. Ami seemed to finally shake herself out of her daze.

"Wait. But my birthday isn't until the tenth…"

"Yeah," Lita cut in. "But we figured it was the perfect opportunity to send you to an early heart attack." She grinned, coming between people carrying a two-tiered cake that had blue icing spelling out 'Happy Birthday Ami!' "Hit it everyone!"

As everyone gathered around Ami, Zach adjusted his hold on her, his hands just barely brushing against her hips from behind her. Ami noticed the movement immediately and she absently leaned back, taking in comfort in his warm body beneath their layers of drenched clothing. The silent act gave Zach some courage and he brought his arms around her fully, crossing his arms around her waist possessively just as everyone finished singing the last "Happy Birthday to youuu…"

Zach leaned over, breathing softly on her ears, making goose bumps pop up across her skin as everyone else around them clapped enthusiastically. "Make a wish Ice Queen." The nickname would've been insulting to any other girl but the tone that it was said with along with the hidden meaning that was behind the words made the girl smile. With a small breath, she blew out the eighteen candles, a silent prayer sent to the heavens.

The night was spent in dry clothes, laughing with her friends happily, and going back for seconds at Lita's cake. Jaden Aino had arrived earlier Ami laughed when she watched Rei and flick some cake in Jaden's direction. Jaden promptly tickle-tackled her with the help of Mina and Serena and Ami took another bite of her cake, smiling at the sweet taste. Obviously, her current emotional tone with the Nick ordeal wasn't interrupting Lita with her cooking skills…

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"You know," Ken began, backing away from his cousin. "The chicken's already dead so it's no use trying to kill it."

Lita glanced at Ken like he was speaking another language before smiling wryly as the meaning caught up with her. She glanced at the meat that she had been furiously pounding on for the last couple of minutes. She and Ken sighed simultaneously. It looked like the Nick business was more than Lita thought she could handle. She'd been practically throwing herself into her grandfather's business lately. Whenever she wasn't at school or the Arcade, she was working her feelings off in either preparing cuisine dishes or beating her punching bag senselessly at home. Looks like it wasn't really working.

Ken came up from behind her, easing her utensils out of her hand and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and rested his other hand on top of her head. Being a couple of inches taller than his already tall cousin, Ken easily rested his head on top of hers. Lita smiled and brought her hands to tighten around Ken's arm on her shoulders. Whenever either of them was found in a stressing situation, they always managed to find themselves in this position, with the stressed out one being comforted by the less-stressed cousin. The term 'Blood is thicker than water' was an understatement between the cousins who might as well have been siblings.

"Why do I feel this way?" Lita asked quietly. "I shouldn't be feeling this way for a complete stranger Kenny."

Ken sighed, and Lita felt his chin digging into her hair as he shook his head. "I wish I could tell you, kid. I hate seeing you so upset over this guy."

"It's just so frustrating!" Lita exclaimed. "I don't even know him and yet every time he comes around I have to keep my emotions in check before I say or do something stupid to embarrass myself."

Ken just sighed and shook his head, at a loss for words. No guy had ever really had an effect on Lita as this Nicholas Anza did. Well, there was Freddy but Ken took care of him. But Lita's question did pose an interesting point. His cousin didn't even know the man. She had spent about two or less hours with him at the club weeks ago and only about a half hour whenever Nick and his fiancée, Bethany, came to discuss plans with their Grandfather. Even at those meetings, the only people to talk were mainly Mr. Kino and Bethany, with Nick absently agreeing to one option or another and Lita murmuring her assent whenever her grandfather asked her something. And despite the lack of dialogue between the two, Kenneth Maxwell was no fool. He couldn't sense auras like Lita's friend Rei, but even a blind man could see the restrained attraction between Lita and Nick.

At this point and time, Koji Kino burst into the kitchen. Lita wasn't the only one in the kitchen as there were five other cooks in there with her. It was a busy Friday night. Mr. Kino immediately singled her out and called out to her to come with him. She gave Ken one hug before saying goodbye with a promise to see him at home within the hour. It was only when she took her place next to her grandfather; absentmindedly tugging at her hairnet did she see _him_. Nicholas Anza: the cause and reason of her current position. Lita almost stumbled from surprise at his appearance. If it was any consolation, he seemed as surprised as she did by her appearance. For a moment, their eyes held each other and neither seemed able or willing to break the contact. Good for them, Mr. Kino was more than willing to oblige.

"Lita." He snapped, calling his granddaughter out of her daze. Lita looked over at her grandfather, eyes hazed over in mild confusion. "Uh, yes Grandfather?"

Nicholas Anza sort of stood by the door looking like an idiot for a couple of seconds. The reason for his rather stupefied expression was Litanya Makoto Kino (the second), the granddaughter of Koji Kino, the man in charge of catering his upcoming wedding with his fiancé, Bethany Rogers. She was also the teenager that he had become inexplicably drawn to even though they had spent a whole total of maybe four hours altogether since they had first met at Club Twilight, where Nicholas was a bartender at. Nick glanced ahead in time to see a tall man with light russet hair reaching for a leather jacket hanging on the wall. As he was shrugging his jacket on, he turned and his dark brown eyes focused on Nick. As far as Nick was able to tell, this was Ken Maxwell. Several of the cooks had called him cheerily by his last name and Koji Kino had often barked at the man with something along the lines of "Get the hell out of my kitchen Ken!" and "When I get my hands on you…"; the latter usually said when Old Man Kino had a butcher knife in his hands.

However, Nick found himself studying this young man (for he couldn't be older than Nick himself) and wondering what was it about this Ken that held the attention of Old Man Kino's granddaughter. There was nothing really special to him and he had heard Mr. Kino refer to Ken as a "bum" though Lita seemed to let the comments roll over her like nothing and just chastised her grandfather softly for saying such things about "Kenny". However, as Nick cobalt eyes were raking over Ken, looking for something that could set him apart from himself, he found himself looking into dark brown, almost black eyes.

Busted.

However, instead of being upset or offended by the scrutiny Nick was giving him, Ken's lips turned up into what Nick could've guessed as a smile. This Ken guy was smiling at him? What gives? But yes. Ken was wearing an amused and satisfied expression as if catching Nick giving him the once-over confirmed something he was thinking about. Before Nick could really think about what could make this kid smile, Ken met him square in the eyes before flicking his gaze over to something on Nick's left. He followed the direction and realized that Ken was motioning at Lita's back. When Nick turned around to look at Ken questioningly, Ken's smile only grew wider and he turned to leave, shutting the backdoor behind him as he did so.

_'What the hell just happened?'_

Nick didn't have time to question anything because Mr. Kino just called him over to his office.

"Nicholas," Mr. Kino said as Nick closed the door behind him. He glanced around the office and took the only other seat in front of Mr. Kino's desk, the one beside Lita's chair. "I understand you wanted to discuss something with me?"

"Yes." Nick said, suddenly recalling why he was even there. "You see, Beth went over to Montana to meet up with some family members and she left a pretty strange request when she left."

"Which is-?"

The next five seconds after Nick said his reply to the question were met with silence in the room.

Mr. Kino coughed. "I'm sorry. But did I hear you right?" He asked incredulously. How strange was this man's fiancé? "She wants to-"

"Yes." Nick interrupted tiredly. It figures only Beth would ask for something so strange. "Beth wants me to sample dishes from at least five different cultures and decide which one ought to be the theme for our wedding."

"..." Granddaughter and Grandfather both looked at Nick with identical forest green eyes.

And that, my dear audience is how Lita and Nick wound up together at Kino's Kitchen on a Sunday afternoon. Kino's Kitchen was a restaurant that had three different cuisine styles. Mr. Kino was currently in his office, looking over Bethany's list of what type of dishes she was looking for. Nick explained that he had tried to persuade her to just go 'American' with steak and chicken but Beth was adamant. She wanted something 'exotic' for her wedding and Nick was no fool in trying to argue any further with her.

Lita eyed Nick warily as he inspected the ingredients to a new dish Lita had found. "You sure know what you're doing." She couldn't help commenting.

Nick smiled and Lita felt those butterflies fluttering in her stomach again. "I spent a lot of time with my great-grandmother whenever my family went back to Italy. I never went back home without learning at least five new dishes." He smiled fondly. "She'd always yell at me if I ever added too much of one thing or too little of another. She never used measuring bowls so it was always easy to get in trouble with her."

"I use measuring bowls and I still manage to get in trouble with Grandfather." Lita said exasperatedly.

"Well," Nick glanced at Lita out of the corner of his eye. Eh, why not? He might as well brig it up. "He does say you always manage to get sidetracked in the kitchen."

"Well that would be Kenny's fault." Lita huffed. Despite the words, the tone of her voice expressed that she was fond of the man. Nick didn't like that tone. "Not that I mind the company around here. Everyone else in the kitchen is ages older than me."

"Your grandfather doesn't really think much of him." Nick said dryly.

To his surprise, Lita giggled. "I know." She said. "But Grandfather knows that Ken means well. Anyone would need a distraction after working under him for so long."

Nick cracked a smile for that one. "A 'distraction'?" He repeated skeptically.

"Sure." Lita chirped. "Ken is Grandfather's only other grandchild so he's the only one who'd be able to get away with hanging around the kitchen during business hours." Lita looked at Nick and frowned. "Nick, are you okay?"

"Wait." Nick said, frowning to try to figure out what Lita was saying. "If he's also Mr. Kino's grandchild, then that means…"

"Hey baby cousin!" Lita turned around and dropped her knife just in time to be engulfed by one of her cousin's bear hugs.

"Kenny!" Lita half-laughed and half-complained. She swatted his arm. "You dork. If I hadn't dropped my knife I could've cut you."

"I wouldn't be complaining." Koji Kino spoke up from his office, hearing his rambunctious grandson entering the kitchen. "Boy," He barked at Ken. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Aw, c'mon Gramps." Ken said lightheartedly. "It's the weekend. Gimme a break."

Lita watched the exchange between the men in her family and smiled, rolling her eyes with a shake of her head. She turned to Nick, not really paying attention to the strange look in his eyes as he looked at her. "Nick, I don't think you've formally been introduced to my cousin." She tugged at Ken's arm. "Kenny, this is Nicholas Anza. Grandfather is catering his wedding in December."

Ken grinned, clasping onto Nick's hand. "I've seen you around man. Nice to finally meet you." He stepped back, a wide grin on his face. "You two been hard at work?"

"We're working on a Moroccan dish I just found." Lita explained. "I'm not too sure people are going to want to know what animal they're eating though."

Ken stared at the board in front of Lita, a mixture of disgust and revulsion on his face. "_That_ was an animal?"

Nick laughed at his expression along with Lita. For some reason, this new revelation of Ken's relation to the girl made Ken seem a lot more _likable_.

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"Are you sure you don't want me to butt in?" Mina questioned. "'Cause I'm more than willing to if you want me to."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Serena reassured tiredly. "I can handle Dion. He's just being ridiculously persistent lately that it's just getting really _sad_."

Mina laughed. It was six something in the evening and the two were leaving a shoot that Desiree was doing. They'd been there since like eight in the morning. Mina looked up and saw Kunthan Tsukino standing underneath a lamppost with his motorcycle by his side. After a rather bitter visit to the pound, Kunthan had made it a point to stand by his bike every time he came to pick up his little sister, glaring at any and all who dared to approach his 'baby'. Kunthan saw them and waved.

"Anything eventful happen?" Kunthan asked with a smirk. Since that incident about two weeks ago, he would usually manage to bump into Mina either inside or outside the building because Desiree kept Serena busy at work. Mina playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

"None whatsoever." She said. "Desiree's learned her mistake and passed on the word to the other photographers. Anyone who usually works with both of us now knows that it's best if we don't show up at the same set at the same time."

"Smart thinking." Kunthan said. "I suppose catfights aren't very becoming for model behavior."

"You'd be surprised." Mina muttered darkly.

Serena watched the exchange between her friend and her older brother with a quiet smile. Because of Serena's job with Desiree, Kunthan ran into Mina several times when he came to pick up his little sister. It was too early to tell, but Serena had always had a way for sensing things. Not as good as Rei, though. That girl was a freaking psychic. Speaking of whom…

"Mina," Serena butt in. "Why don't you come over for dinner at our house?" Both Kunthan and Mina looked at her, obviously confused. "Yeah." Serena went on. "My aunt's making lasagna tonight. It's not as good as Lita's probably, but it's still great."

"Well," Mina began, looking from one Tsukino sibling to the other, though her gaze lingered on Kunthan. Not that he minded, of course. "Actually…"

Before he really thought it out, Kunthan said, "It'd be nice to have you over." He was already mentally slapping himself as both girls turned to him in surprise. Mina looked pleased but his little sister wore a rather devilish expression at his outburst.

"Uh, actually…" Mina said, a hint of laughter behind her voice. "I've got some plans tonight."

"Really?" Serena's sly tone made Mina actually laugh and distracted Mina from the look of irritation on Kunthan's face at the innuendo in Serena's voice.

"Nothing like that." Mina chastised. She shouldered her bag. "Rei's coming over for dinner tonight."

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Mina entered her house and nearly choked at the tension in the air. She found her friend in the living room as Rei sat across from Jaden, violet eyes glowering at his smirking face. Mina leaned over to Haruka, who was eyeing the two apprehensively from the doorway. After years of witnessing their interaction, Haruka knew better than to step forward between what was obviously a staring contest.

"Ruka." Mina said lowly, stepping towards her older sister, careful not to make any loud noises. "How long have they been at this?"

Haruka Tenoh (born Haruka Aino) didn't tear her gaze from her twin or the raven-haired teenager, afraid if she did so, they'd probably start tackling each other. "Since Rei got here." She replied in a soft whisper. "Jaden the Jackass made some comment about female proportion along with her legs and chest and it was all over from there." Mina rolled her eyes. Leave it to her brother to be the pervert of the party. Haruka sighed exasperated, blowing a piece of sandy-blonde hair out of her eyes. "At least it's better than her tenth birthday party."

"Yeah." Mina replied absentmindedly. "Back then, they just tackled each other without hesitation."

Haruka sighed. "Somehow, I prefer those time than this." Mina glanced at her sister, confused. Haruka looked at Mina quickly before going back to warily watching her twin and their guest. "Mina, I thought you were the goddess of Love." Haruka teased with a smirk that made Mina pout. The older daughter nodded towards the two in their living room. "You're honestly going to tell me you can't sense it?"

Mina followed her sister's gaze, flicking her azure eyes from Rei to Jaden. A slow devious arching of her brow told her sister she had caught. Anyone with any knowledge of the birds and the bees could recognize the sexual tension a mile away.

"They ought to just crawl on top of each other and get it over with." Mina giggled. Haruka's shoulder shook momentarily as she held back her laughter. Her hand moved from her mouth to reveal a sly smile.

"How about we give them a nice push in the right direction?"

Rei broke her glaring contest with Jaden when she heard the bout of laughter at the doorway of the living room. Her violet eyes narrowed suspiciously when she saw the two Aino daughters shaking hands conspiratorially. She mentally groaned. Why on earth had she agreed to this dinner? She flicked her eyes back at Jaden, as if daring him to move. He, however, just leaned back in his seat comfortably with the wonderful knowledge that he was annoying the hell out of her by just looking at her. Rei locked onto his roving blue eyes and suddenly remembered why she was there.

Damn Mina and her perfected puppy-dog look.

Mina sighed, bracing herself. "Well," She muttered to Haruka. "This ought to be fun…"

"Well, it's about time." Rei muttered loudly as her friend strode in the room.

Mina smirked. "Well, I figured you and Jaden were having such a great time together I didn't really want to ruin the moment."

"The moment was ruined the second he walked into the same room as me."

Mina merely laughed the comment off and whisked her friend off to the dining room. Jaden watched his youngest sister take the raven-haired vixen with an almost unreadable expression. I say 'almost' because his twin was right there at the doorway.

"You can wipe that smirk off your face, Ruka." Jaden grunted once he was sure Rei and Mina were out of earshot. He turned just in time to see his twin waltz in, smirk still in place as she practically flopped on top of Jaden.

Ignoring Jaden's comment on her weight gain, Haruka turned over, looping an arm around his and propping her chin on his left shoulder. "Oh, don't bother with that tough-guy routine, you wuss." Haruka taunted. "I dare say my darling brother has finally had some sense knocked into him."

Jaden gave a humorless laugh. "Your matchmaking skills leave much to be desired for."

"Funny. I didn't mention anything about matchmaking." Haruka teased. Jaden would've shrugged off the comment but decided it wasn't worth it. He and Ruka always had an uncanny way of connecting with each other so it was no use ever trying to keep something from her. Haruka noticed his somewhat defeated expression and gave his arm a sisterly squeeze. "You know," She began, making him look her in the eye, smiling. "Maybe it's time you kissed and made up with a certain Hino."

"Maybe it's time you took your own advice." The smile was immediately knocked off Haruka's face. However, the shock was soon replaced by a grim smirk.

"Touché, brother dearest. However," She said, calmly standing up and absently adjusting her cashmere sweater. "My desire to make up with anyone in the Hino clan is as strong as my desire to quit my career and become a housewife."

"Didn't realize you enjoyed the domestic life so much." Jaden retorted, earning a glare from his twin. Haruka opened her mouth, no doubt, to say something scathing but was cut off by the doorbell. She turned her head in the direction of the sound, obviously confused.

"Who could that be?" She wondered aloud. Jaden got up from the couch and she looked at him imploring. "Jaden, you could've told us you were expecting a quest."

Jaden carefully avoided her eyes, something that Haruka immediately noticed. "I'm not expecting any guests." He said. One of the maids arrived with the new visitor at her side. Haruka muttered a curse, inhaling his cologne before fully turning around to see him. Jaden gave a small smile. "I'm expecting a friend.

"Sei!" He walked over to the young man at the door, who was staring intently at Haruka's back. "Glad you could make it. I've got those financial files in my room. Stick around while I go get them."

And with the clickity-click of his shoes, Jaden disappeared to the depths of the Aino household, not letting his friend get a word in edgewise.

"Well," Haruka's voice cut the silence in the room after a few moments. "That was a rather underhanded trick."

"Yes," Seiya murmured coldly. "Although I'm guessing disappearing on me is a skill he's learnt from you."

Haruka whipped around quickly, glaring at him. "Feel free to judge me as you see fit, Hino." She said. "But at least have the decency to do it outside of my home."

Seiya scoffed. "You're one to talk about decency."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Haruka demanded.

"Oh please." He shot back, annoyed. "That guy at the club last time was practically sucking your face."

"Oh, and you punching his lights out makes you some kind of savior?" Haruka challenged.

"You were making a fool of yourself out there." Seiya snapped.

"Right." Haruka assented sharply. "Because apparently you're the only one who can do that to me?"

Seiya looked at her, obviously shocked. But Haruka merely brushed her shoulder against his harshly as she strode out of the room and into the dining room where Mina and Rei were waiting. Jaden found his friend in the same place he'd left him a minute later, standing in the living room, eyes following the direction where Haruka was.

.

"Damnit!" The young woman took her eyes off from the beach view and turned to her boyfriend, concerned. She strode through the suite the boys shared and rested a hand on his shoulders.

"Umino." She said softly as the young man in front of her yanked off his glasses and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Umino, what's wrong?"

"This damned mainframe, that's what." He snapped angrily, running a hand through his dark brown hair, messing it up even more. He sighed dejectedly and placed a hand over the one that was on one of his shoulders. "Forgive me for snapping at you, Naru." He apologized to his girlfriend. "But this system is close to impossible to crack and none of my other searches have come up with anything."

The pretty red-head nodded and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. He had been busy for the last week, trying to find her. Their other companions had not had such great luck either.

"She's gotten good at covering her tracks." She commented lightly.

Umino Gurio turned, sensing the hurt in her voice. "Naru…"

"I'm sorry Umino." Naru Osaka said, laughing as she rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes. "It's just that this has just gotten ridiculous. We've been here for weeks now. And neither you nor the others have found anything."

Her boyfriend didn't say anything, loosely holding onto her. He understood what she was going through. Heck, it was all because of Naru that he was joining this quest. His eyes rested on a black-and-white photo showing a pretty teen with long, straight hair pulled into two, strange pigtails on her head. He frowned. Granted, he had his share of words to exchange with her, their target, Usagi Tsukino.

"So many things were left unsaid," Naru was saying. "We just have to find her and sort things out."

"It won't be easy." Umino said calmly. "She thinks that all of us were in on it. She thinks she's been betrayed."

"But she has been, Umino." Naru sobbed, letting the tears flow freely. "She has every right to feel the way she does about us."

Umino pulled away from Naru gently cupping her face to look up at his. "Perhaps. But we have every right to at least try to explain ourselves to her."

"…Whoops. Didn't mean to break a moment there, guys." They both looked at the door just in time to see another red-haired woman walk through, carrying a couple of bags of take out with her. The couple pulled apart, blushing.

"No harm done, Anne." Naru said chirpily. Too chirpily for Anne's taste. She turned and saw that her friend still had some tear markings down her cheek and her nose was still quite red and nosy.

"Oh, Naru…" Hugging the girl, Anne couldn't help but muse that over a year ago, she wouldn't have been caught dead in such a position with such a meek girl like Naru. Her thumb absently rubbed against the diamond ring on her left ring finger. Then again, she hadn't expected a lot of things to happen over a year ago. "Sshh." She said comfortingly. "Just you wait. We're gonna find her and yell at her until we lose our voices if need be."

Naru gave a pathetic laugh. "That sounds like a plan but we don't even know where she is."

"She's right." Umino said darkly. Anne looked over at him. You know, without the glasses, the dorkster wasn't half-bad looking. Umino sighed. "I've been trying to look for houses, apartments, cars, anything that her uncle could've owned."

"Nothing?"

"Nada." Umino confirmed. He looked up at Anne. "Has Alan had any luck so far?"

Anne sadly shook her head. "None. We're lucky enough to trace her uncle's credit card as being used at the airport we came through. We can either assume that he lives in his city or that his home is only a drive from here."

Naru sighed, plopping down on a couch. "It's so frustrating not being able to help."

"It's even frustrating just trying." Umino said. "Especially when you can't seem to get anywhere."

"What've you tried?" Came a voice from the doorway.

"Alan!" Anne went over to her fiancé, kissing him lightly before he went back over to talk to Umino.

"Exactly what have you tried, Umino?" Alan questioned. He was getting really tired of this. They had followed Usagi's uncle's trail up to this place but from there on is was a dead end.

"I've been looking for anything that her uncle could've owned." Umino explained, gesturing to his laptop. "But all of the houses that I've searched for under his name have come up completely dry."

"You've tried his full name, right?" Umino nodded.

"Artemis Orion Cartier." He said, repeating the name he'd inserted in about hundreds of searches to no avail. "No records of owning a house or even a car."

Alan paused, his light blue eyes narrowed in concentration. Anne noticed his apprehension and reached over to take hold of his right hand for support. He smiled at her briefly, still thinking. Idly, he strung his fingers through hers; brushing against the engagement ring he had bought for her over a year ago. Wait a sec…

"Umino." The younger man was startled when Alan abruptly leaned over, grasping him by his shoulders. "Did Usagi ever mention if her Uncle was married?"

"I-I think so bu-" Umino cut himself off and realized the brilliancy of Alan's concept. Both heads turned to their respective girlfriends.

"Anne/Naru!" Both boys shouted at once. "What's the name of Usagi's aunt?"

Moments later, Naru watched the screen as her boyfriend typed the name in.

_Luna Soleil Maui._

"It makes sense." Alan had said. "Her uncle has been avoiding his family for about twenty years. He's learned to cover up his tracks by allowing his wife to put her maiden name on their purchases."

Umino slapped the enter button and four heads gathered around the laptop, intently staring at the screen. Moments later, the search read:

**Match 1 out of 1**

.

.

.

chickay

You know it's been over a year since I started this and the story's only gone for a month. Eh..don't worry. I've mapped out the upcoming chapters and this story is soon coming to a close and all that is confusing beyond belief will soon be revealed. As for that Lita section, I sorta pulled it out of 'The wedding planner' if ya'll haven't figured it out yet. Well, review people. I'm gonna need what support I can get with school starting again. Cya'll later.


	15. Strangers

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

* * *

Strangers

* * *

"Serena!" Lita yelled as she ducked underneath one of the incoming dresses flying her way. Serena was still over at her closet, desperately clutching at random outfits and tossing them behind her carelessly. A stiletto heel nearly poked out Mina's eye and something resembling a very large tutu still had Ami struggling with how to get out of it. The Halloween masquerade dance was coming up at their school. The girls had unanimously decided that costumes were overrated for the year and opted to find evening gowns and pair them off with some masks for the night.

Easier said than done.

"I can't believe this!" Serena exclaimed, jumping up from her crouched position on the floor and critically fingering some dresses she had pulled out of her closet. "It's been an hour and I still don't know what to wear."

"Don't be so harsh on yourself." Ami gasped as she finally found her way out of the frilly tent that Serena called a dress. Kicking it off, she said, "I mean, you left most of your belongings in Japan so it's not that big of a deal."

Serena sighed. "Yeah, I know. But it's still frustrating altogether."

Rei kicked off of Serena's bed where she was reading some comic books. "Serena, I'm sure you have something in this room." Her violet eyes trailed from Serena's closet to a set of pink drawers. Before anyone could protest, she had walked across the room and begun to open the bottommost drawer. Serena, hearing the creaking wheels of a drawer that was rarely opened, spun around almost fearfully.

"No! Rei…!" But it was too late. Rei had gasped and her pale hands reached in and, with an effortless tug, brought out what appeared to be a cape of glittering silver and lace. She gazed over the material with an appreciative glance, feeling the softness against her hands. Her entranced reaction attracted Main, whose keen eye for fashion lured her to what she recognized as a beautiful work of a skilled seamstress.

"My God Serena." Mina breathed, her fingers just hovering over the beaded bodice, as if her slight touch would cause the tiny fragments to scatter. Lita and Ami came to join them, neither very knowledgeable about fashion but knowing a beautiful work of art when they saw it.

"Geez, girl." Lita said. "What'd you sell for this? A car?"

Serena gave a dry laugh, eyes glued to the dress her friends were unfolding, choosing not to reply. Ami reached for the top part of the dress, her face changing to one of shock as she read the designer label.

"'Chronista'?" She blanched. "You've got to be kidding me!"

The other girls could only silently agree. Chronista was the name of the most highly revered fashion line ever.

Mina chortled. "Jesus! Beryl would sell out her daddy just to wear a Chronista item."

"Beryl would sell out her daddy for many things." Rei retorted wryly. With a smooth flick of her wrists, she held up the dress between her and Serena, tilting her head to one side and trying to figure out how Serena would look in it. She pushed the dress to Serena's chest. "Here. Put it on."

Serena stumbled back a little, caught off guard by the force of excitement Rei put behind the dress. The others looked at her expectantly but Serena just stood there, unable and unwilling to move.

"Sere…?" Mina waved a hand in front of her friend's face. "Serena you look like you've seen a ghost."

Serena shook her head, waking from her daze and smiled forcibly. "Nothing so nice." She stepped forward and took the dress out of her friends' hands. She cradled the material in her hands, memories uncontrollably flooding back to her.

_The shock in his face died down to a goofy, but sincere, grin. 'You look beautiful.' There was such an honest feeling to his voice that she wasn't used to but she knew she wanted to hear it again._

Serena forced herself to open her eyes and re-enter the real world. The one that wasn't in Japan. The one that didn't have Naru, Anne, Umino, Alan or… _him_. She glanced at her current friends, who were looking at her curiously. She sighed weakly. "I don't think this dress really suits the situation, don't you?" She knew it was a pathetic attempt but she had to try anyway.

"Nonsense." Mina said, whipping the dress out of Serena's hands and unfurling it. She held it in front of Serena's figure, cocking her head to one side. "Serena, it's perfect." She looked up at Serena's face, not noticing the pained expression. "It's like…" She paused, scrunching her face until the right term came to mind. "It's like it was _made_ for you."

Serena nearly scoffed aloud. _'If only you knew.'

* * *

_

"Usagi?"

Serena didn't reply to the nickname, since she was carefully adjusting her gown at the very moment that her brother walked in. Making a small face, she spun around to watch Kunthan enter, cocking her head to one side.

"At the risk of sounding like any other girl out there," She said hesitantly. "How do I look?"

Kunthan's initial shock wore off to a smile on his young face. At first, he sort of stood by the door, smiling dumbly. His little sister stood off to the side, standing in front of her full-length mirror, critically eyeing the back of her dress up and down. He was escorting her to her masquerade dance. It was a beautiful white gown with golden lace trimmings that trailed down to her ankles in slightly puffy layers. Her hair was left to spill over her shoulders, giving her an unkempt look that only she could make look stunning. He had seen her in this outfit before and he had seen how gorgeous she had looked dancing in it. Kunthan was still smiling as he walked the length of the room towards her and placed a placating hand on her shoulder, guiding her to a chair in front of the mirror.

"You look beautiful, Usagi." He said earnestly in a tone that made Serena beam happily. "However," Kunthan reached out for Serena's vanity mirror, groping for her brush. "I have a feeling that something's missing."

"…Kunthan…" She began hesitantly. "What are you doing?" Serena's voice had quieted now as she realized the familiar twists that her brother was putting her long hair through.

"You really can't be that forgetful, can you Usagi?" Kunthan teased absentmindedly, his eyes focused on the back of her head. One of Serena's delicate hands reached up to stop his.

"That's the thing, Kunthan." Serena said, staring back at his reflection on the mirror. "I can't forget." Her sad were crying but there were no tears.

Kunthan did not let her action stop him. Swiftly, he planted a soft kiss to her obtrusive hand before waving it aside. "'Can't' and 'won't' are two different things," He said matter-of-factly. "Plus: what's an old hairstyle going to hurt?"

Serena stared back at her reflection, at a loss for words. She saw herself, just newly sixteen in that mirror, wearing the same dress and the same hairstyle. The expression, however, was not the same one she had worn on the day of her sixteenth birthday.

"It's like looking at my own ghost." She finally managed to say after a moment's silence.

"Oh I don't know." Kunthan said, placing the final pin on his sister's hair. He stood back, admiring his handiwork. Surprisingly, even after all this time, he could still manage to put his sister's long mane into those memorable buns. "Somehow, I don't doubt that the same Usagi is in there somewhere."

She stood up so fast, the chair beneath her clattered to the ground. "Why must you try to remind me Kunthan?" She demanded shakily. "Don't you realize just how much it hurts to even think about what happened?"

Her teary words did not faze Kunthan as he reached over and engulfed her in a hug. "Of course I do." He said comfortingly. "But you and I sadly know that the things we wish to forget in the past, often tend to come back and haunt us in the present."

To which Serena could not reply to.

* * *

"Remind me again why I'm even here?" Jaden wondered aloud as he stared up at the main entrance of the New Moon Academy. 

"Because you love your darling little sister so much."

"I have two little sisters and I can barely stand either of them." His retort was rewarded with a punch on either arm. "Jeez! Where'd you two get such a violent streak? Mom is so girly she makes Shirley Temple look like a call girl."

"Oh shut it, Jaden." Mina said good-heartedly. She smoothed her orange dress down and adjusted the half-mask over her face.

"It's not that big of a deal." Jaden said. "It's just that I could've sworn I was done with this place once I graduated."

"_Barely_ graduated, you mean." Haruka reminded him. She recalled the four years she had to go through, poking her brother awake in class and helping him out of trouble by blinding the faculty with her high averages. Many considered it a pity that the oldest Aino daughter decided for a life of racing cars when she had a very good knack for business, like her brother. However, Haruka was more than happy to follow her own path in life, especially if it meant riling up her parents every so often. Haruka glanced around, taking in the scenery of her old alma mater. Not much had changed and she still felt that sense of comfort she had felt when she was a teenager in the school. Like, almost nothing could go wrong in a place so safe and right like New Moon Academy.

"Oh look!" Haruka turned without thinking at Mina's exclamation. "There's Rei and Sei!"

_Almost_ nothing.

"I'm going ahead." Haruka would've done as she said had her younger sister not reached for her with a pout.

"Ruka, don't be rude." Mina said. "They're our friends."

Haruka would've said something to weasel her way out of the situation but Jaden decided to take the initiative, greeting Seiya with a warm smile and glanced over at Rei only to do a double-take. Of course, wearing a skintight fire-red dress that had slits up to the thighs would've made any guy past puberty do a double-take. Rei only rolled her eyes.

"Hey Jaden." Seiya chastised. "Quit staring at my sister. You're making me flush here."

Rei snorted. "It's okay Seiya. I'm getting used to hounds staring at me."

"Well, you might, but I sure as hell won't ever." Seiya retorted grumpily. He raised his head in time to meet the cool gaze of Haruka. Jaden was becoming an increasing pain in the ass as of lately for Seiya and Haruka. Both now became very wary whenever he suggested an outing to the mall or some party of his friends' since neither knew if the other would be at the same place.

"Mina! Rei!" Both teenagers turned around to see Ami walking towards them, her hand clasping Zach's. Dressed in a bright blue nightgown that flared up slightly with each step she took, Ami looked like a periwinkle fairy gliding towards them. The smile she wore was only rivaled by the one on Zach's face.

"Well," Jaden said, clapping his hands together. "Let's leave these kiddies together, shall we? Let's see if New Moon Academy can still serve up a buffet like before!"

Before either could argue, Jaden had swung one arm over his sister and the other over Sei's. Mina eyed the older siblings as they disappeared into the school.

"Rei?" Her raven-haired friend looked away from where Ami and Zach were coming and turned towards Mina. "You ever get the feeling that something's going to happen. Not something bad, mind you. Just…_something_?"

Rei looked at Mina, eyebrow quirked with a twisted smile that looked like it was holding back a sly retort. Instead, Rei leaned back against one of the columns of the school thoughtfully. "Sure, I guess." She said. "You getting that feeling now?" Wordlessly, Mina nodded. "You know, it's funny." Rei suddenly said. A few steps below them, Zach had lifted up Ami and pecked her on the cheek. "I've gotten that exact feeling before. But it's only been when we're all together." When Mina gave her a quizzical look, Rei clarified. "Us. You, me, and the others."

"Including Serena?" Rei nodded almost grimly.

"_Especially_ Serena."

"What about Serena now?" Ami stumbled in, Zach's protective arm around her waist. They'd become more comfortable with each other in public now. It was strange for her friends to see her in such a state but, all the same, they were happy just to see her happy.

"Nothing." Mina said dismissively. "Where's Lita?"

"Right here." The brunette seemed to pop out of nowhere, curls bobbing, cheeks flushed. "Hey guys."

"Where've you been?" Mina questioned slyly. Lita glared at her good-naturedly.

"Get that tone out of your voice." Lita commanded. "I'll have you know Grandfather had me work overtime for this girl's sixteenth birthday party." She glanced around. "Hey. Where's Serena?"

"Oh." Ami started. "I'm sorry guys. I completely forgot. Serena called me up to say she was running late."

"Yeah." Zach put in. "I think she said something about an argument between her and her brother because Kunthan wanted to ride his bike to get here."

Rei rolled her eyes. 'What else is new?" She adjusted her mask. "Well, c'mon then. Let's get this party started!"

The group stopped in front of the gymnasium, admiring the decorations scattered around and the beautiful costumes their classmates were wearing. Mina suddenly stumbled onto Lita. The blonde turned around to see what had hit her and was faced with a redhead. Mina glared.

"Watch where you're going, Sinclair." She seethed. The head suddenly bobbed up and Mina met a pair of innocent and confused eyes.

"Oh," the young woman started. "I'm sorry. You'll have to forgive me; I have a tendency to be a bit clumsy."

Mina nearly blanched at the case of mistaken identity. "Oh, wow. I'm sorry." She said. "I thought you were uh…I thought you were someone else."

The redhead smiled and Mina felt immediately embarrassed that she believed for one second that this girl was Beryl. "It's no big deal, really."

Mina tilted her head to one side, studying the girl, trying to look past the redhead's mask. "You know, I don't think I know you. New Moon's a pretty small Academy. What did you say your name was?"

"She didn't." A clipped voice cut through.

'_What is this_?' Mina thought. '_Red-head's night_?' Turning, Mina saw another red-headed girl coming through, glaring at Mina and blocking the more timid redhead from Mina's sight.

"Do you have a problem with my friend?" The new girl asked with heavy innuendo. Mina realized that this girl probably heard her sly comment when she thought that she had bumped into Beryl.

"Oh, no." Mina hastily said. "I just thought she was someone else."

The timid girl reached over and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "She's telling the truth, Anne." She said, smiling at Mina somewhat apologetically. "There's no problem."

The other girl, Anne, as the more timid one called her, looked back at Mina with a slightly less grim expression and finally nodded. She took her friend's hand. "C'mon, Naru. We're out of here."

Before Mina could protest, the two were gone, disappearing into the crowd of masked faces. She turned to speak with her friends. "Hey guys." She said. "Do you know of any girls in our grade with red hair? Aside from Beryl, I mean."

The others looked at, amused and confused.

"Can't say I do." Lita said thoughtfully. Ami just shrugged.

"That's kind of rich, Mina." Rei said, laughing. "I mean, chances are, if you don't know them, they don't come here."

The others laughed and Mina forced a smile. Turning her head to where the redheads had gone to, she muttered, "That's what I was thinking."

* * *

"Oh, wow." Serena said. She had just arrived and Kunthan was by her side, absently admiring everything. Serena turned to her brother. "C'mon, Kunthan." 

Kunthan smiled and followed his little sister. A gentle hush suddenly rippled through the dance floor. The girls, who had been laughing it up with some of their other classmates, all turned around and abruptly shut up. Serena looked like a heavenly angel, descending from one cloud to another, floating on the soft fabric of her dress. Strangely, the weird hairstyle she was currently parading didn't ruin the effect. If anything, the hairstyle enhanced her otherworldly appearance. Her long hair was pulled up into two, strange versions of pigtails that bounced slightly with every step she took down. The white mask she wore outlined her baby blue eyes that were taking in the decorations in the room. She didn't even realize that she was being admired by so many people in the same room.

* * *

"Ugh, the bitch." Well, not everyone, of course. Beryl stood by the punch bowl, obviously annoyed. Her eyes flicked over to Dion Crystaal, who was eyeing Serena with such a lusty expression it almost made Beryl blush. The plastic cup in Beryl's hand was suddenly crumpled.

* * *

In a more secluded part of the room, four pairs of eyes followed Serena's lithe figure as it finally reached the danced floor and headed towards her friends. Memories ran rampant in their minds, dejavu overcoming them as she walked down the staircase exactly like she had done over a year ago. 

"Baby," One of the young men began. "I don't know if…"

"Now is not a time to second-guess ourselves." One of the girls snapped despite the shakiness in her voice.

"She's right." The other young man in the group consented. "We didn't travel over a freaking ocean to back down now." The speaker looked into the shadows the hid them from everyone's view. "Right, buddy?"

Through the shadows, a new figure stepped forward. A crimson rose was being twirled between its gloved fingers.

* * *

"Serena! You look beautiful!" Mina exclaimed. Serena blushed sweetly. 

"Thanks guys." She said.

"I love your hair tonight." Ami said earnestly.

Serena's smile faltered slightly. However, she leaned over to give her friend an appreciative kiss on the cheek. "Thanks."

"Well, c'mon then!" Mina declared. We're not going to be wallflowers all night, are we?"

Everyone else laughed. The bubbly blonde looked over at Kunthan, who was looking around apprehensively at the teenagers who were hopping around all over the place dancing like they were in a strip club.

"Hey, Tsukino." She called at Kunthan. "You look like you got served with deep friend dung beetles."

Kunthan grinned. "How observant of you."

"Eh, I'm just that good." She replied. With a giggle, she grabbed Kunthan's arm. "C'mon! Let's go dance!"

Kunthan smiled politely. "Thanks, but no thanks, Mina. I'm not a very good dancer."

Mina smirked. "Who said it was a question?" For a small girl, Mina was actually pretty strong, being able to haul the older man onto the dance floor, leaving her best friends to laugh at her as she walked off, a flustered Kunthan at her heels.

"Well," Rei said. "We certainly can't let her have all the glory, can we?"

* * *

"They look like they're having fun." Haruka commented. 

"Uh-huh." Jaden mumbled through mouthfuls of food. Seiya looked at his friend with mild disgust.

"Jaden, whatever happened to those things called manners?"

"Hey, I've got manners." Jaden said defensively. "I just choose not to use them"

"You don't say." Haruka said sarcastically. Sitting down at one of the tables provided, with Jaden situated between her and Seiya, she really wasn't having any fun.

"Oh, don't be such a sour-puss Ruka." Jaden admonished. "Go and enjoy yourself already."

"Thanks, but I'll pass." Haruka replied. Her eyes scanned the room, watching the students dancing all over the place, masks on their faces.

"You never did enjoy any of these things, did you?" Jaden said thoughtfully. "I remember we had to drag you over to the dances. You remember that, Sei?"

Against his own will, a smile graced Sei's face. "Yeah." He laughed. "I remember you looked like a tortured prisoner during our homecoming dance."

Jaden laughed and even Haruka cracked a grin, recalling how Michiru had literally tied Haruka down with her scarves just so Haruka would hold still while Michiru did her make-up. Those were good times. Very good times. Her eyes suddenly caught Seiya's. She quickly looked away.

Too bad things couldn't have stayed the same.

* * *

Something was wrong. 

That was all Serena could think of, even while she and the others twirled and moved to the music. Something was terribly wrong. The lights of the room were dimmed, their vision only aided by the flashing neon lights that flicked on and off randomly. While she danced, Serena's eyes glanced over the crowd, as if searching for something she wasn't sure she was looking for. For a while, she ignored it. But, as the dance went on, she could feel someone's eyes hissing onto her back. But it wasn't just one person. It was more…more people watching her…studying her. Serena looked around, a slight twinge of panic welling inside when she realized she couldn't recognize where her friends were. All she saw were masks of different shapes and sizes, covered in glitter, gloss, feathers and an assortment of a million and one other knick-knacks on their decorated masks.

A whisper. She felt someone's voice fly past her ear, haunting. She spun around and saw the same rambunctious students dancing. It was nothing.

But then why was her heart pounding. The whisper had been something important…familiar. But what was it? Looking around, Serena tried to find her group of friends again in vain. There were too many people.

…

There it was again. It was faint, but someone was talking to her…softly. Serena spun around again, her pigtails flying as her desperate eyes scanned the area…looking. What the hell…

"Usagi…"

Serena gasped. That voice! She knew that voice! She had fallen asleep to that voice! Her breathing had quickened without her realizing it.

"Usa-chan." There it was again. But where was it coming from? Goddamnit! This music was too loud. She couldn't hear anything or even know for sure if she was really hearing things! What the hell was going on? Then…out of the corner of her eyes, she saw.

A dirty-blonde head was off to the distance. Bangs covering what she knew were one-cold blue eyes hovered over what could only be described as a bitter smirk.

"...No." Serena breathed. "It can't be."

"Denial much?" Serena spun around so quick she nearly got whiplash. Red hair that she had once played with a million and one times. Wide eyes that were glaring back with so many emotions with one glance at her. And a face that was so familiar, even under the mask.

No. This was impossible. No way could this be happening. Not now! Not when everything was going so well! No! No

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Her voice gradually rose but no one really heard her as she backed away from the all-too familiar face and ran into the crowd. Damnit! No! This was impossible. This couldn't be happening! She kept bumping into people but she didn't recognize or see them. All she saw were the dark blonde hair on some people, the auburn hair on others, thick glasses…while whispers of her true name were being echoed all over the place by unforgettable voices. She closed her eyes and covered her ears as she ran, wanting so much to block it all out.

Serena gasped, her eyes snapping open. It took her a split second to realize that she had blindly ran through the whole crowd and outside to the open-air garden of the school. Panting, she brought a hand to her chest, feeling her own perspiration and the rapid beating of her heart.

"What was that?" She muttered aloud. She barely registered that her hands were shaking. There was no way they could be here, right? Did she imagine all that in the dance floor? "Have I completely lost it?"

A single rose suddenly dominated her vision. She felt his breath over her shoulder before the first words were out of his lips and knew she wasn't crazy.

"Good evening, Usagi."

Her hand softly pried the flower from his, holding it between her fingers. Silently, she sniffed the rose, smelling its soft aroma as she walked away from him, turning so that she came face-to-face with the main reason she had left her homeland. Dark hair, sapphire eyes and an expression that was unreadable to most…except her. Shit. He knew. She closed her eyes, willing the world away.

"Hello Mamoru."

Crushed rose petals drop to the hem of her flowing gown. Droplets of blood trickled with the petals from her clenched hands. He had left on the thorns.

* * *

A/N: Okay…so I'm a little overdue on the chapter. Looks at calendar Okay…a LOT overdue on the chapter. Either way, it's finally here. Please don't be totally discouraged. My plans for this puppy have been outlined and I have no intention of backing out now. I will finish this damned story even if it kills me. Especially when everything's just about to unwind and let loose. So, please review and let me know someone's still paying attention to this despite my neglect in the past couple of months. Till next time. 


	16. The Things We Say

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

* * *

The Things We Say

* * *

Rei was standing outside of the main building of the school, relishing the quiet of the night and completely unaware of what was about to take place just within the garden of the school. Naturally, of course, such peace just had to be broken by none other than Jaden Aino. 

"Evening, Pyro." She turned to glare at him but couldn't help that small smile begin to tug at her lips. As damning as it was, she was actually becoming rapidly attached to this man. He had been hanging around the gang's usual haunts lately, even managing to catch up and joke around with Zachary when the younger man wasn't busy holding hands with Ami nowadays. She couldn't help hanging out with him, and, to be honest with herself, she actually didn't mind. He smiled slyly at her now and leaned back against the same column she was leaning on that supported part of the roof of the school. "Watcha doin' out here? Why aren't you inside?" He asked, nodding his head in the direction of booming music and strobe lights.

Rei shrugged. "I needed a breather. It was getting too hot in there." She replied. "What about you?"

"I couldn't find you anywhere." He grinned. "I wanted to dance with you."

Rei rolled her eyes, exasperated yet flattered all the same. "You're an idiot."

"Because I want to dance with you?" He asked, incredulous. "So guys who want to dance with you are idiots." He reasoned playfully. "Hmm…" He got a mischievous glint in his eye. "So what does that make Kaidou?"

The jovial mood was cut short by the awkward silence that followed. Rei paused, frowning in thought. Now that she really thought about it, Kaidou had never actually asked her to dance. He had always been busy, even at parties. He always had to greet new people, "important dignitaries" he called them before leaving her on her own…

"…He's never asked you before has he?" She looked over at Jaden, who had seemed to read her mind. He had something resembling a sad small on his face. Sad? What? Did he pity her?

Rei glared in annoyance. "We've danced plenty of times." She said haughtily.

Jaden nodded, taking in her reply readily. "I'm sure you have." He said. Rei nodded, affirming this and looked away from him. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to look at him right now. "But I wonder..." He began thoughtfully. "Exactly how many of those times were because he _wanted _to. I wonder how many times he only danced with you because your darling daddy ordered him to."

"Hey!" Jaden held up his hands at her protest.

"Don't be like that, Jaden." Rei said harshly, deeply angered at his analogy and the innuendo about Kaidou's intentions. "Kaidou is nothing like my father. He's a great guy. He likes being with me and he loves me."

The last part came out in a rush and she would later wonder what the hell made her say it. Thinking that Jaden would be angry, she was almost surprised to here him chuckle bitterly at her declaration.

"No he doesn't, Rei." He said softly, as if speaking to a crying child. "And you know it, too. And it pisses you off."

Her head swung angrily towards him, violet streaks of hair cutting through the air. "Don't say that." She commanded. "You don't know Kaidou. He cares for me very much."

"Of course he cares for you." Jaden agreed amiably. "He just doesn't _love_ you."

The hand that would've struck his face was stopped within mere inches of his cheek. Rei's momentary surprise lasted for only a split second. Then she attempted to lash out against him with her other hand. He caught her wrist like he had done to the other. With a force that came surprisingly easy for him, Jaden pinned her hands on the column. Before she could even try to struggle, his lips were by her face, his words billowing to her ear.

"Why are you fighting me, Rei? _Why_? I don't understand. I haven't said anything but I figured I had made my intentions pretty damn clear by now. I'm not like him, Rei. I'm not one of your father's flunkies. I'm here now because I _want_ to be here, not because someone told me to. I don't want anything from you, except just one thing." He pulled back still keeping her face by his. He brushed his lips briefly over her closed ones. "All I want, no, need. All I need from you, Rei, is a _chance_. Won't you give me that, at least?"

"…"

"Rei…?"

"He loves me."

Rei felt a sick sense of deja vu as she said these words, trying hard to ignore the denial that was beginning to accumulate in her own stomach.

"In that case," He seethed, jerking away from her as if she had burned him. "I give up." He said, throwing up his hands in the air expressively, glaring. "I give up, Rei. Do you wanna know why?"

When he received silence as his answer, Jaden raved on,

"Because I refuse to play second fiddle to a guy that will never see you for the person you are. _Never_, Rei. He will never think about how sad you really are beneath the surface whenever you think about your father. He will never notice those soft smiles on your face whenever you're thinking about old times. He will never notice how rarely you laugh and he will never understand how beautiful it is when you do.

"And he will never -do you hear me, Rei? - **_never_** love you even half as much as I do."

He paused, breathing heavily, eyes glittering with too many clashing emotions within their depths. He dropped his shoulders, emotionally exhausted. He shook his head sadly, closing his eyes in an effort to block out the world, reality, Rei. When he opened them, a dark cloud had settled in those usually bright blue eyes and a bitter smile crept on his face.

"I give up, Rei." He said, shrugging with his palms towards her. "I have nothing left to give. I'm done."

With that, he turned, walking away, bidding the raging feelings in him to pacify themselves before he turned on his heels to physically shake some sense into the woman.

"He loves me." The words were out of her mouth before she could think twice. They came out strong in the silence that engulfed them and Rei could feel the ache of denial slowly chewing on her insides. Jaden stopped walking, his back still turned to her. After a moment, he let out a soft scoff and turned his head at an angle where she still couldn't see his face and he was unwilling to look at hers.

"Then I guess you're an even bigger idiot than me."

Maybe Rei was too angry to reply. Maybe she was just really really shocked at the blatant verbal attack. Or maybe it was the reality that he was more than likely right. But, in any case, Rei did not reply. And as she stood there, gazing at him dumbly with dull eyes, her soul screamed at her brain to do something. Anything. But she didn't. No, Rei stayed where she stood, watching the blonde Adonis stalk over to his car, flinging the door open and slipping in before slamming it shut. The slam reverberated into her brain, adding to the shock that was accumulating that would not permit her to even wince or call out to him to stop.

* * *

_"He loves me."

* * *

_

The words were echoing through her mind and she finally recalled why the words were so horribly familiar. She could recall Catherine, her second cousin, in her mind, wearing that bright pink dress at the party so many nights ago when she and Jaden had shared their first kiss. She could hear Cat's shaky voice say those same, nauseating words of defiance.

_

* * *

"He loves me, Rei." __

* * *

_

It was then Rei realized that her own words to Jaden held even less confidence that Cat's own declaration that night about her fiancé, Ruben Van Buren.

By the time any of her sense had kicked in, Rei was inhaling the dust that had been kicked up by Jaden's back tires in his fervent effort to escape her presence.

* * *

Serena was missing. Lita had first ignored that little detail; she figured Serena was lost in the sea of gowns and masks, enjoying herself. However, when Serena had been out of her sight for around ten minutes, Lita's curiosity and worry began nagging at her. It was silly to get worried, Lita reasoned. After all, Serena wouldn't leave the school grounds for any reason and, after all, what possible danger could there be for the girl at the dance? 

Nevertheless, as a slow song began to play and several single people walked off the dance floor, leaving behind only couples, Lita looked around her calculatingly, seeking out that halo of silver-blonde that she could always attribute to Serena. Technically speaking, she did manage to spot a head of silver-blonde hair, but that belonged to Kunthan, Serena's older brother, who was (surprisingly not awkwardly) dancing on the floor with Mina, who hadn't left his side since he first came. Not that Kunthan was complaining, mind you.

Speaking of complainers, Lita could see Ami and Zach not too far away, a bright smile on Zach's face as he gently tugged a red-faced Ami into a loose embrace. The hug was made firm seconds later as the two slow danced and Lita couldn't help but smile as she watched Zach whisper something to Ami; Lita could've sworn she heard Ami's sweet laugh from across the room, despite the booming music.

Rei had disappeared a while ago to God knows where… and so had Jaden apparently. Hmmm…everyone seemed to be hooking up, Lita noted, trying to ignore that twist in her gut that accompanied Nicholas Anza's face in her mind's eye. Desperate to distract herself from the feelings welling within her toward the man who had unexpectedly entered her life and, in a matter of months, turned it upside down. Oh, the fates were truly very cruel.

Sighing, the Amazonian brunette discretely stepped outside for the auditorium, using the exit that led to the gardens of the Academy. Exotic trees and flowers of every color shape and size were everywhere, specially imported by the owners of New Moon Academy. She liked coming here, the smell of flowers and their colors always comforted her and gave her a sense of peace. That peace, however, was currently being disrupted. Her mouth twitched in slight annoyance as she could faintly make out voices nearby, one male, one female, a couple most likely, arguing with each other. Lita shook her head. What drama. However, as she turned to leave, Lita heard a very familiar voice. Could it be…? Nah. What would she be doing out here? Maneuvering herself on the pathway of the garden, Lita tried to pinpoint the source of the angry voices through the artificial forest of imported foliage.

* * *

"Hello Mamoru." Serena said coolly. Her azure eyes had frosted over, concealing whatever raging emotion was running through her mind. She cocked her golden head to one side mockingly. "Or is it _Darien_ now?" 

Her rhetorical question was greeted with that cynical smirk. Deja vu overwhelmed her. It was the same smirk he had given her when they had first met; the smirk of someone who knew something that he wasn't supposed to. Anger welled within her at the thought. She now understood what he knew when they had first met.

Bastard

"Bastard." The title left her mouth without any remorse. Serena had always prided herself in telling the truth when it was needed. And boy, was it need now.

"Now, now _Serena_." He replied in a sing-song voice, stressing the name. "You can't possibly think so lowly of me, now can you?" The smirk was still in place. God, how she wanted to wipe it off his smug face.

"I thought I made my feelings toward you pretty clear when I moved to another continent." Serena said, shocking herself at the calmness in her voice. The smirk faltered and Serena did a mini-mental cheer in the back of her mind.

He mock-scoffed. "You wound me."

"You deserve it." The lines were familiar. Yet, this time, she meant every word of it. Granted, she doubted that her words would have any effect on the asshole but she figured such a verbal beating was way overdue. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

His low chuckle had her clenching her fists even tighter around the rose's stem in her hand. "You know, Usagi," He said, reverting back to the name he had first known her as. "I think your words would actually hurt me, that is, if I didn't see the irony of what a hypocrite you're being."

"'A hypocrite'?" Serena repeated. She had hoped that she sounded vague; bonus points for her if she followed through with sounding confused, too. "Last time I checked, Mamoru, a hypocrite was someone who says one thing and does another, someone who lies about his intentions." His name was said with more disgust than she actually had for him. She was glad. If only he knew of the true raging bitterness screaming at her from inside. "Quite frankly, you're the only hypocrite present here, aside from four certain individuals no doubt lurking around us." She said that last part loudly, knowing that they could all hear her, knowing that they could sense the anger in her voice. A semi-maniacal grin settled on her features as she continued. "Props to you, Naru. No doubt, you were the ring leader behind all this. Oh, I'm sure you helped too, Alan. Being a tycoon's son does have its advantages, I see. It must've taken you a lot of connections to find that number for my home here. Of course, my uncle has several connections of his own. I'm sure you encountered them while you were trying to find me." The bitter grin spread and opened to a cold laugh. "I'm sure they put you guys went through one hell of a goose chase."

Anyone who entered the scene would've thought the young woman was insane, yelling out into the night at seemingly invisible people. No one would've noticed the shadows that hid in the shadows, or the silent, abrupt movements made when something the golden girl insinuated truly irked them. No, they maintained their positions, like good soldiers waiting for their commander, hungry eyes watching the scene unfolding before them, all wanting to take his place.

The smirk had faded away now, she was satisfied to see. However, she also knew what it meant. He was done trying her patience; his had run out.

"Whatever." He said dismissively, rolling his eyes and looking away from her. "There are some things that we need to discuss."

Serena's absolute anger at this jerk was almost to its boiling point. How dare he reenter her life with such loftiness and expect them to talk to each other with decency. Of course, she somewhat surprised herself at how well she was managing the situation. Especially when she had half the mind to scratch his eyes out.

"Whatever needed discussing has been dealt with." She said with finality. "Everything either of us had to say to the other was settled before I left."

"And _before_ I knew you were leaving." He snapped at her. Serena thought, had she currently been as weak and stupid as she had been over a year ago, she might've mistaken that faint glimmer in his eyes as some kind of evidence for an emotion. But, of course, she knew better now. The flicker of feeling was gone before it even sparked and she took an involuntary step back. A dark shadow had come over his face while something akin to the fire of a thousand suns burned in his eyes, scorching her with his gaze. "Of course, I didn't realize a lot of things until after you had left."

The reality of his innuendo struck her hard. She doubted he would really come all this way just for her. He knew what had happened after she left Japan and he seemed to be ready to use it against her. Yet his taunting words had opened up floodgates that were brought down in order to close up the gashing wounds he had left on her; floodgates that she had no intention of blocking up now that they were opened.

"And what exactly did you realize after I left, Mamoru?" She questioned slyly, eyes narrowing to betray her anger. "That you were an asshole? A deceitful bastard only out for himself and his stupid money?" She spat. "Or, maybe, you had the miraculous epiphany that human beings are susceptible to pain. Of course you couldn't have known about that, especially when you're so above everyone it's disgusting." Sarcasm dripped off every word to leave her small mouth. They were her venom, her poison that had been cultivated in her heart, finally being released upon the one individual who deserved them.

And her poison stung, she could see. Perhaps an untrained eye would not have noticed the way his hand flinched momentarily or the small spasm of an unnamed emotion that passed his face. But she did. She saw because she had inflicted that damage, but obviously on a much smaller scale than the damage he had done to her.

"Your anger is justified," The young man finally said after a moment. The dangerous glint was still in place. "But your hatred for me cannot possibly excuse your deception!"

He knew that she understood what he was talking about. However, her lip curled into an un-mannerly snarl.

"An eye for an eye." She quoted wisely. "Think of what I did as mere reimbursement for what you've done to me. Don't speak of deception so lowly when you've already pulled off such a great example of it."

"**_Shut up_**!" The shadows in the dark groaned mentally, one of them aloud. She always did have a wonderful habit of pushing his buttons. An arm shot out and gripped hers before anyone, let alone the warning voices in his head, could stop him. "Shut up, Usagi! Stop playing dumb! You know what I'm talking about! Where-?"

* * *

Serena didn't have to struggle long for it suddenly seemed like a nearby bush had leapt to life, striking out with balled fists. With a sudden cry, he lost his grip almost immediately. 

_'Damn. The man sure has one very thick head.'_ Lita thought darkly, watching him stumble back a few paces while she rubbed her knuckles lightly. She absently shooed off the stray pieces of leaves that had accumulated onto her dress as she had hidden behind the bushes, watching the encounter between this apparent lunatic and her friend. Speaking of whom…Lita turned. Serena was shaking slightly, obviously shocked.

"Serena..." Lita began hesitantly. She knew that, once she jumped out from her hiding place, Lita had just basically admitted to eavesdropping. But after seeing how this asshole was speaking to her friend and Serena's reaction to him, Lita's anger became centered around her fist once she saw him actually try to physically harm Serena. Now, she focused on the main reason she even stepped in. She almost gulped.

The pig head was now surrounded by four other people, two girls and two guys, all dressed up like they belonged in the party. None looked too happy at her sudden appearance. Her pretty lips twisted into a menacing snarl and her eyes became emerald slits behind her mask as she tensed her entire body to defend her friend from these weirdos. However, she never got the chance.

* * *

Kunthan, too, had become worried when his sister's disappearance extended to a point past comfortable. Granted, he had allowed himself to be distracted for a period of time with Mina on the dance floor, but, eventually, he began to worry. Supportive and equally curious, Mina had stayed by his side, helping to scan the crowd for any trace of Serena. When they were sure that she was neither in the room or the bathroom, they went outside. The two had barely any time to admire the gardens, flowers glowing under the blinking stars. Close by, very close by, as they could discern from the rising voices, was an argument taking place. Both of their ears perked up at the sound of Serena's voice. However, Kunthan seemed to freeze when he heard a masculine voice reply to his sister's apparent shrieks of accusation. Mina turned to him to say something but the words were left frozen on her lips when she looked at her companion. 

His forehead was furrowed in a deep scowl, his eyes turning almost crystalline in rage. Before she could ask what was wrong, Kunthan was striding away from her, leaving her to pick up her dress and attempt to follow him. Faraway, they heard the thumping of something hitting the ground, hard. The two exchanged a worried glance for a split second then hurried up. The scene they arrived to wasn't a very fun one.

"You…" Kunthan hissed, his vision turning red at the direction of the group of intruders. However, his anger was focused on him. That lying scumbag. His knuckles were turning as white as his hair as he managed to maintain a steady voice level, demanding, "What the fucking hell are you assholes doing here?"

The tall blonde of the group stepped forward, pulling away at his mask to reveal dark blue eyes that seemed to be constantly teasing, despite the hard grim line of his mouth. "Good evening to you, too, Kunthan."

"Fuck off, Alan." Kunthan spat. "We're through with your shit so get the hell out of here."

One of the girls stepped forward, her voice trying to soothe.

"Kunthan, please-"

"Not one goddamned word from you, Naru." Serena commanded from her position. "You've said all you've ever needed to say to me."

"Our business is done with you." Kunthan said, his voice wavering with anger. "Leave."

"Gladly." The man named Darien seethed, pulling away from the group to glare at Kunthan. "As soon as she answers a couple of questions."

Serena scoffed. "I have nothing to say to you."

"That's what you'd like us to think, isn't it?" Darien said rhetorically.

Serena sneer. "I think all that money has gone to your heads." She said blithely, looking around at all of them gathered before her. "You've _all_ lost it."

"Hey!" a tall man with dark chocolate hair stepped forward, piercing gray eyes glaring and pleading simultaneously with the angry siblings. "Enough with the insults."

"Shut up, Umino." Lita glanced at Serena, surprised. So much animosity was practically radiating from the girl. It was nothing like Lita had ever seen before. Serena almost snarled. "You call them insults. I call it the truth. Just because you finally decided to grow a conscience doesn't undue what you did."

"You didn't even let us explain-" The other girl took off her own mask, revealing the all-too familiar face Serena had once loved and now loathed.

"There was nothing to explain, Anne. You betrayed me." Serena cut in plainly, voice quavering. "I trusted you, all of you." She glanced at all of them, her gaze reflecting the hurt they had inflicted on her as cast a meaningful look at Darien. "I loved you all and you all lied to me. And for what? **_Money_**!" She laughed mockingly. "And here I thought you were better than that." Her voice quieted to a defeated tone. "Obviously, I was wrong.

"Leave us alone." She said after a moment's silence. "Just go _away_. You have no reason to be here."

"You know damn well why we're here Serena," Darien seethed, bringing back the attention to him. Serena's lips turned into a grim line, as if holding back a biting comment. Darien's eyes narrowed and it was as if all his patience had run out. "So why don't you just cut the bullshit and tell me where he is. Tell me Serena! Where is he?

"Tell me where my son is!"

* * *

A/N: Cliffhangers are a beautiful thing. So review and let me know if you're still alive. I'm still going to write anyways but reviews help to motivate. Go figure. See ya. 

**chickay**


	17. To Hide

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

To Hide

* * *

_"Tell me where my son is!"_

It's amazing how a few little words could cause such a deathly silence. It was if the great clock of time had stopped, those six little words wedged in its gears. Unfortunately, time does go on and, as such, does our story.

* * *

It would be pointless to say that Lita's jaw dropped to the floor or that Mina's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets since no possible physical action could truly convey the shock that took over their bodies. This man, Darien, was it? His words had shaken the teenage girls to the core, causing them to cast their disbelieving eyes to the blonde girl in question.

Her eyes were closed; they had been closed since the words had left his mouth. _Of course that's why he's here_, a part of her hissed. _He doesn't want you, just the child you left with._ Too bad for him, he'd never have her child – their child.

Darien Chiba had traveled a very very long way. His journey had seen him through breakdowns, overnight bouts of heavy drinking and occasionally accompanied by a smoke before he passed out. He preferred passing out, to be honest. Passing out meant that you were dead to the world, even if the world wasn't willing to let go of you just yet. Passing out meant you could sleep for a very long time, which, for him, meant less time of conscious thought, less time to suffer through hangovers, and, most of all, less time to think of her and the pain that stabbed at the heart she had struck at without even realizing it. She always did have a knack for that: being so stupid and clueless. Looking at her through his vision, he remembered one other she had been.

Beautiful.

Even when she was completely disgraced, she was beautiful. Of course, he would know.

With her fairy-princess-like dress and mystical hair, Darien could've sworn that it was just the beginning of her birthday party. Oh, God. How he wished it was. If only he could go back for an hour, ten minutes tops, he'd tell his younger self not to be so stupid, so manipulative, so greedy. He'd bargain his soul for the chance to change it all, but only had his broken heart to offer, since she had taken his soul with her on that one flight out of Japan.

She was slowly opening her eyes now, blue orbs glistening beneath a thin layer of tears. A small, defeated smile crept on her face as she said,

"You have no son."

Darien blinked. Both had seemed to forget that there were others around them, listening just barely beneath the haze of confusion whirring in their heads.

"What are you saying?" Darien snarled. "I thought I've made it pretty damn clear, Serena. I know about the baby! I know you gave birth a few months ago to my child. Don't think you can keep him from me forever!"

"I won't have to." Her quiet words silenced him, but not the anger and confusion swirling in his stomach. "I won't deny that I gave birth a few months ago. But I assure you, Darien," She said, looking straight in his eye. "You don't have a son." Hey eyes blinked rapidly and she looked away, her voice choking. "Not anymore."

Darien Chiba had traveled a very very long way. And just like that, a few words had made his journey worthless, completely and utterly worthless.

* * *

Luna looked at her nephew disbelievingly. Kunthan stood at the foot of the stairs with his uncle as the woman practically leapt up the staircase to her niece's room. Luna wasn't Serena's aunt by blood, but the love that she had for that girl could move a mountain. Kunthan glanced at his uncle briefly before looking away, angry at everyone…and himself.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Artemis said, as if reading his mind. Kunthan looked up again at Artemis, who had moved to a couch and sat down, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "That boy, Alan, was it? My contacts had said he was poking his nose around. He managed to get around every false lead I had people set up." He opened his tired eyes and Kunthan realized that his uncle wasn't exactly as young as he acted. Artemis gave a sad chuckle. "Guess this is what happens when I skip out on chaperoning dances."

There was a moment of silence before Kunthan asked, rather rhetorically, "What are we going to do now?"

Artemis sighed, wiping his hand over his mouth. "Just do as she says. You know better than anyone that it's pointless to argue with her."

"But they'll be watching her," Kunthan said. He wasn't arguing with his uncle, just stating a fact. "We'll never get any peace."

Artemis leaned back on the cushions of the sofa. "Don't worry about that now. Just concentrate on getting her there. She needs to be there right now."

* * *

The damned suitcase wouldn't close. Serena nearly cried out of pure frustration.

_'No.'_ She thought. _'Enough crying tonight.'_

After her staggering declaration a mere hour ago… Was it truly an hour? Seeing them tonight seemed to be distorting her sense of time…her sense of reality. She shook her head furiously at the thoughts running in her head. No, she mustn't let her emotions get the better of her now. But yet...why was she packing in such a rush? She had left the garden in such a rush, too. She ran practically blinded with her tear-filled vision. Everything was a haze to her. She vaguely remembered nearly steamrolling Rei. She didn't even have any emotion left to be surprised that the brunette had not screamed at Serena for her klutziness. She barely realized that Luna was at the doorway until she felt, rather than saw, the woman's presence.

She turned her head over her shoulder, not completely looking at her aunt. "Are you going to try to convince me to stay?" She asked. "If you are, give up. No one is going to stop me."

"Do I look like an idiot to you?' Luna asked rhetorically. "And to answer your question, I'm not going to even try to convince you to stay. Only-"

Serena felt Luna's soft hands tugging at her, turning her otherwise limp form around. Over Luna's shoulder, Serena caught her reflection in the mirror. A few hours ago, she had sat in front of the very mirror questioning why her brother wanted her to remember those painful memories of her time in Japan. Kunthan had been complacent as he told her:

"But you and I sadly know that the things we wish to forget in the past, often tend to come back and haunt us in the present."

Oh, Serena should've known it was too good to be true. She was too settled, too happy, too alive. Something horrible was bound to happen, which it did tonight. Now, staring at her reflection, she saw a sad girl with limp features and hair tangled in a mess, wearing the prettiest gown that you ever did see. How little things had managed to change over the years.

Luna had followed her gaze and caught her niece entranced by the ghostly figure that was her own reflection. Firmly but softly, she titled Serena's chin so that the teenager would have to look at her.

"Everyone has to have a past to receive a future." Luna said softly, cupping the girl's face in her soft hands. Serena could've stayed there forever; basking in her aunt's loving presence, the scent of Luna's clays fresh on her fingers. "But that doesn't mean you have to keep running away forever."

Serena smiled weakly, the best she could offer her kind aunt. "I'm not running away, Luna. I promise." She added when she saw the sad disbelief on Luna's face. "I'm not going away for a while. I'll be back. I swear."

There was pause before Luna nodded her consent. She, of course, had no intention of even trying to stop Serena, even though she was scared that the young teenager would just run away from those horrible people that had followed them. No wonder Serena was so hurt. After all, a heart so strong as Serena's could only be broken from inside.

* * *

Umino glanced at the computer briefly. A few days ago, getting the tiniest possible hint as to Serena's location would've made his day. Now, it made him want to hurl. Not so much that it was information about her, but merely because, sooner or alter, he'd have to pass on that information to him. As if on cue, one of the doors in the suite flew open. The sound of shattering glass could be heard a millisecond after the blonde closed the door behind him. The genius looked at the heir.

"I'm almost afraid to ask." Umino remarked. "How is he?"

"He travels across a fucking ocean to take back something that was his only to find out it's not here and she still hasn't forgiven him." Alan scoffed as he poured himself a drink. "How would you feel?"

"Like karma really has a nice way of biting you on the ass." Umino replied. He rubbed his temples softly. Serena had managed to wedge a fat, ragged stake into his brain after tonight. Speaking of whom… "She's on the move, by the way. Serena."

Alan looked over at him, his slight surprise shown with the small lift of his eyebrows. "What?" Then the eyebrows dropped as it dawned on him. He scoffed again. "Typical Serena fashion, I suppose. Run away when things get too bad."

"Kind of like the tea pot calling the kettle black." Umino remarked, earning himself a glare from Alan. "Oh, don't give me that look, Alan. We've all run away when things get bad in life. It's natural instinct to avoid that which hurts us. You father-"

"Was a jackass." Alan finished. With a smooth flick of his wrist, the drink was gone from his hand. He didn't like to think about his father. Rather, he relished in the reality that the man was dead and done and no longer capable of hurting him or anyone he loved like he had tried with Anne. Alan glared as if the old man's ghost was right in front of him. _Especially_ Anne. Thinking of his girlfriend, he glanced around the suite. "Where are Anne and Naru?"

"In their room." Umino replied. "I don't suggest you go in there though." He said when Alan made a move as if going towards their room. "They're still pretty upset."

"I suppose their little fantasy of a happily ever after story with a godson in tow has been sufficiently shattered?" Alan said, rather than asked.

"You can't blame a person for having hope." Umino said. "They really wanted to fix up everything when we got here."

"I did, too." Alan said. "But at least I'm being realistic enough to know that there was no way in hell could she be able to forgive us that quickly."

"I suppose it really was too much to hope for forgiveness." Umino said. "We sold her out and you guys paid."

"We didn't really give you much a choice."

"Maybe." Umino agreed. "But I always had that choice. I just didn't take it."

A moment of silence passed. Beyond question, both men were reliving things they sometimes doubted were real. Umino's eyes trailed back to the screen of his computer.

"What do you want me to do?" He question was met with a low chuckle.

"Umino, I spent a nice couple of months telling you what to do." Alan commented. "I think you can handle this one choice. I'm gonna go see Anne."

Umino smiled briefly at Alan's retreating back. Yeah, that guy had definitely changed. Looking back at the computer, Umino sighed, shaking his head. The computer turned off with a small pressing of his finger.

"Fuck it."

* * *

An hour later, Serena was on a plane and Luna was in the seat next to her. It was only appropriate that she come along for the ride.

Serena glanced at Luna hesitantly. "Do you think she'll mind?" She asked. "Us barging in on her like this?"

Luna patted her hand comfortingly. "I sincerely doubt it, honey. If anything, she'll be thrilled to see you."

Serena looked at the lights below her growing fainter and fainter. "I hope so."

* * *

"So this is what happens when we turn around and dance with each other for ten minutes."

Zach's effort of lifting everyone's spirits failed miserably. The group was gathered at Rei's grandfather's shrine. Lita and Mina had just retold the story that had taken place in the gardens of the school. Ami was in Zach's arms in shock. Lita and Mina had been there to witness the event and Rei had seen Serena rushing out of the school with Kunthan in tow. Only Ami wasn't there to see this crazed evening.

"My god…" She breathed. "A baby?"

"A _son_." Rei corrected. Now she understood why Serena had been in such a rush. The second she had seen her friend in such a state, Rei had forgotten about her fight with Jaden. Of course that was over an hour ago but in the midst of all the drama, Rei was more willing to dwell on her friend's problems than her own. However, she couldn't really dwell on Serena's problems, since, after all, Serena had apparently taken off to God-knows where. The group had gone to Serena's house, hoping to talk to her. But her brother had answered and said that Serena decided to leave for a while. When questioned where she went and when she would be back, the tall, broad man could only shrug. Not even the pleading gaze of Mina could make him budge. Rei was actually aggravated at this point. "You would think after being friend with us for this long a while, she could actually trust us.'

"Don't be too hard on her, Rei." Mina said. "After all, from what we're able to piece together, those people had hurt her. They had hurt her bad, Rei. Even if she does trust us, I doubt she'd want to live out those old memories."

"Maybe so." Rei said. "But we're her friends. She shouldn't have to hide from us."

"Maybe it's not so much that she wants to hide but maybe she _needs_ to." Ami said thoughtfully. When the others looked at her strangely she clarified, "She needs a break, away from everything in the world, them and us. We'll just have to wait for her." She nodded, convincing herself and the others around her. "We'll just have to wait."

The door swung open to reveal a young face of a slender, pale girl with short-cut black hair. She had her mother's face and her father's eyes, that lit up and surprise.

"Serena!" The blonde smiled happily as she embraced the younger girl.

"Hello Hotaru." The said girl pulled away, smiling all the while.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Then she slapped her forehead. "Oh, stupid me! Of course I know!"

"My, my, my." Luna's silky voice cooed. "You're still hyper as ever."

"Aunt Luna!" Luna was suddenly embraced by her niece, who was growing more and more alike like her mother that it wasn't even funny. "Oh, man, this is wonderful." Her eyes glanced around the hallway. "Are Kun-Kun and Uncle Arty with you?" She asked, looking around for those heads for white-blonde hair.

"Sorry, no." Luna said with a smile. "Hey, is your mom home?"

"Hotaru?" A voice called out. "Luna!"

Luna's heartfelt laugh filled the room as she and her sister embraced. Barely a year apart, their physical differences were quite overwhelming but their bond was one forged ages ago when both were left as orphans to the world. Setsuna Tomoe looked into the eyes of her older sister and just smiled. Granted, it had only been a couple of months since they had seen each other but they had missed each other nonetheless. Time differences and a couple of states in between could do that. Setsuna's ruby eyes looked over her sister's shoulder to the same beautiful blonde girl with the saddest cerulean eyes she had ever seen. With kind eyes that matched her sister's, Setsuna reached out for her, pulling her into a deep embrace.

Luna watched the small exchange of love with mild curiosity. Setsuna was pretty surprised with Luna's presence but, as for Serena… It was as if her younger sister had anticipated the arrival of her husband's niece. Glancing at the slight green tinge in her sister's hair, Luna was amused that she wasn't very surprised. Setsuna did have a nice way of knowing things before they were going to happen.

Serena looked up at the tall, dark woman who had poured her heart into that fairy-like dress that had originally been made for Selene Cartier. She felt that same love radiating from this woman as she led Serena into the penthouse, guiding her to one of the sofas in the living room. It was stark night outside the glass windows and Serena took comfort in the fact that she was inside a home with people who cared for her so much.

A cry shocked her out of her reverie of nightmares and memories. She was on her feet before Hotaru actually came into the room.

Hotaru smiled at her. "She started fussing out of nowhere." She laughed. "I guess she knew you were around."

Serena smiled at her in return, biting her bottom lip hesitantly before the maternal instinct in her became so overwhelming that the bundle was in her arms before she even really realized it. Bright red eyes peeked out behind curls of pink.

Tears welled up in Serena's eyes as the sound of the baby's gleeful cooing reached her.

"Shh, baby." She choked. Her chubby little arms reached out for the face that she knew was a part of her. "Mommy's here, Rini, mommy's here."

* * *

Okay, I admit. One more of a semi-cliffhanger for everyone out there. I apologize for the overdue ness of this chapter. Exams started and then drama was all over the place. But now, I'm back. Expect Chapter 18 in a while. Don't worry folks. We're pretty much at the denouement of the story now. All that's left is…Well, that's a lie. I've still got a couple more things I need to throw at you. I mean, after all, Serena's not the only chick in this story, eh?

I would also like to take this opportunity right here and now to announce, in reply to Shinigami's review that **Serena has not lied about anything in her past**. Everything she had ever declared thus far is very much true.

And for Nick Johnson's benefit, and for the benefit of others who have randomly decided to pop in and check on the latest chapter but have no clue what else has been going on ( or am I the only person that does that?), here goes:

1. This is an alternate universe Sailor Moon fic. It's based around the relationships occurring between the girls and the people in their lives.

2. It takes place in present day California (well most of it anyway)

3. The girls and Zach are around 17-18. The older siblings (Michiru, Sei, Haruka, Jaden, and Kunthan) as well as Nick are all like 21-ish. All other adults at around 30.

4. No, Sailor Scouts do not exist in this fic, mainly because I'm not that familiar with writing action scenes but I'm pretty good at writing more dramatic situations. Also, reading several fics where half of the entire chapter was everyone powering up and attacking kinda annoyed me so I try not to do that to my readers.

Unfortunately, I can't answer everyone else's questions cause then that would just kill the entire story, now wouldn't it. Hehe. Review!

**chickay**


	18. From the Past

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

From the Past

* * *

Serena looked up at the steps leading to the temple, knots of all shapes and sizes taking place in her stomach. They were all up there waiting for her, waiting for an explanation. She had been gone for a week and had her brother inform her friends of her return and that she wanted to speak and explain herself to them tonight at the temple. Now, here she was, standing a couple of steps away from unleashing a horrible burden. Guilt solidified itself into the lead at her feet, making her freeze where she stood. What was she doing here? This wasn't right. And as she turned away, she heard Setsuna in her mind…

* * *

Serena looked outside the window, eyes half closed. Because of the events that had taken place so suddenly, she found herself wondering if the sun was rising or setting outside the windows of her uncle's sister-in-law's house. Granted, it wasn't like it mattered what time of day it was. All that did matter was that she was far away from all of _them_. Bitter hatred and anger burned in her stomach, threatening to boil and explode at the mere thought of them; those that she had trusted and turned their backs on her when she needed them the most. All for money. 

Serena realized she must've made a very ugly expression when Setsuna came over and touched her shoulder lightly. Serena turned and looked at the tall, tan, beautiful woman who willingly protected without a breath of hesitation. At this thought, Serena titled her head to one side, questioningly.

"Why do you do it, Setsuna?" Serena asked. "Why do you always take care of me? I've trusted you from the beginning but I'm not sure if I've given you any reason to protect me."

Setsuna smiled. Serena liked her smile. It was as if Setsuna was hiding a little, happy secret to herself. Instead of answering her question, Setsuna took Serena's hands into hers. She brought their clasped hands up to face-level. "You know, Serena," She said. "You have good hands. Firm and slender. Strong hands, mind you." Her eyes glazed over momentarily. "They're your mother's hands, Serena, hands that reach out and care and heal to everyone around them. Hands like yours," She paused, no doubt, Serena thought, wafting in the memories of the days she had idolized the beautiful Selene Cartier. Then Setsuna smiled again and her grip on Serena's hands tightened. "Hands like yours, Serena, need to be protected. Because you are good, and when the good are hurt, what else is there to bring joy in the lives of others?

"You see," Setsuna continued. "That's why we weren't too sad when your mother passed away." Serena looked up at Setsuna, startled. Not many people spoke about Selene Cartier, especially when Serena was present. But Setsuna continued. "You see, even though we were so upset that your mother died, the thought that you were now with us made the ill feelings a little more tolerable." She laughed a bit. "Oh, your father was so happy when you were born, did you know that? He brought you into his arms and said proudly, to anyone and everyone who could hear, 'This is my baby girl. Beautiful, like my beautiful wife, and she'll be just as good.' Your mother usually hit him and said, 'She'll be better…'" Setsuna's voice faltered, as if imitating the voices of her old, dear friends was enough to send back their torn history together back into her mind. "'She'll be better. And she'll be happier.'"

Serena couldn't help the bitter words that suddenly left her mouth. "She was wrong." She said angrily, a shadow over her eyes. "I'm no better and I sure as hell am not happier."

"Serena-"

"No!" Serena wrenched her hands away from Setsuna's. "It's a joke, Setsuna, don't you see? My mother, unhappy for practically her entire life, finally finds her solace in our family and then dies. Do you know what they call that? Life. Do you know what I call it? Fucked up!" If Setsuna was bothered that Serena was cursing in her abode with two children in the house, she didn't show it. "And you want to know something else that's fucked up? Me! Oh, please don't deny it. It's true. Pregnant at sixteen. Practically on the run before my seventeenth birthday. Perhaps if we were living a hundred years ago, I'd be disowned and living in destitution."

The last sentence was said with a bit of hysterical humor but Setsuna took one look at her wet eyes and couldn't help the motherly intuition that overcame her.

'_How many times,_' Setsuna thought as she held the shuddering girl in her arms. '_How many times did I hold Selene this same exact way? How many?'_

The thought was painful to her as she recalled the multitude of horrible things the beautiful heiress went through before she met Kenji, Serena's father. Setsuna softly, but firmly, pulled away from the teenager.

"Tell me, Serena." She said. "Luna told me that you have made friends in your new home." Serena only nodded. Setsuna nodded, too, in satisfaction. "Have you told them, child, of what happened last year, in Japan?" As expected, Serena shook her head. Setsuna merely patted her golden halo. "You know, Serena, secrets can be the death of a person, and I mean that in every possible way. You've seen just how horrible the consequences can be if we choose to hide things from our loved ones. Promise me, Serena." Setsuna suddenly demanded fervently that Serena looked up at her in surprise. "Promise me, Serena, that when you return, you will tell these friends the truth of the past year. None of those white lies, either. The truth, do you hear me? I've seen so many happy people be torn apart by lies. Your mother's family, you and your friends from Japan, even, at one point, your parents. Don't ask me about it now." Setsuna rushed when she saw the questioning look on Serena's face. "What's done has been done, but the future awaits you." She gingerly kissed her sister's niece's forehead. "Don't be afraid of their judgment. If they truly are your friends, you won't have to fear anything. Don't run away anymore, Serena. Stay there. It's safe."

Serena couldn't help but not believe those words. After all, it was hard to do so, when you've lost your will to trust.

* * *

Serena looked around her, at the faces looking back at her. She realized that these faces weren't very expecting; they were concerned. They were nosy in any way, their eyes didn't rove about her, judging her, but glanced over her weary face, her red eyes, and the limpness of her hair. 

She gave a small, tired smile. "I guess I haven't been completely honest with you guys and I'm sorry for deceiving you like I have. I want to make you understand but all I can really do is just tell you, I guess. Unfortunately, I can't just jump to what happened last year. Sadly enough, all this crap started a generation before me.

"My mother was Selene Cartier, the heiress to the Cartier line back in France. While normally, being an heiress was a wonderful thing, my mother gradually…deteriorated, I suppose. At least, that's what I've been told. She was sensitive, my mother. And she was not pleased at all when, one day, her father, my grandfather, announced that she was arranged to be married to a man who came from an equally prominent family, the Shields. So, in a bout of rebellion that completely altered her life, she went to Japan. There, she befriended a certain dressmaker by the same of Setsuna Maui." Serena smiled at the gasps. "Yes, the same Setsuna Maui who later became Setsuna Tomoe, founder and owner of the 'Dusk' clothing line. Anyway, through this woman, she met my father, Kenji Tsukino, who was a photographer. There was a bit of an interruption when my uncle Artemis was sent by my grandfather to reclaim my mother, but Artemis insteadabandoned his family in exchange for a lifetime of happiness with his new bride, Luna, coincidentally Setsuna's sister. Long story short,my parentswere married, Artemis and Luna moved to the states, my mother cut all ties with my grandfather and they were never to be heard from again." Here Serena paused, tears and memories clouding her vision.

"At least, we thought so. My mother died when I was very young. After she had given birth to me, they said that she got weaker as the days went by. Finally, my mother passed away. I was too young to really remember, but what I do remember I cherish. Plus, people were always saying how much we looked like each other." Serena chuckled softly. "A decade or so later, my father followed her to the grave. Mind you, I was just fifteen years old when this happened. Kunthan was in school but, with father dead, he stopped schooling for a while to look out for me. Around the time father died, however, we got a strange letter…from my maternal grandfather, Roi Cartier. He was basically offering us to live with him and the rest of my mother's family in France. Since Kunthan and I had grown up with the feeling that my mother never wanted to have anything to do with my grandfather, we declined their offer. We thought it was all done and over with…

"And then _he_ showed up. Mamoru Chiba." The name was said with such an intense emotion that the girls couldn't really fathom. "At first, it seemed like pure chance that they meet when they ran into each other as Kunthan was helping me move my stuff into his apartment. Honestly, I found him to be such an annoying bastard but Kunthan always chided me for being so judgmental on him. Apparently, no one was on my side. My best friends, Naru and Anne, were practically drooling over him. It went that way for a few months: Mamoru torturing me with his teasing and me, left standing alone while Naru and Anne sighed dreamily. It was comedic, really. Ironically, I started falling for the butthead since, when he wasn't teasing me, Kunthan loved to point out that Mamoru was watching out for me. Around that same time, another guy showed up in town, Alan. Unlike Mamoru, he was always courteous to me, flirting with me at every chance he got. He and Mamoru seemed to know each other and maybe I should've paid more attention back then but I figured they were just stupid guys who liked to argue with each other. However, as time passed, Alan soon showed more affection to Anne than me and I began to realize that my feelings for Mamoru weren't just kiddie stuff. I didn't say anything, though. I suppose I was too scared of the possible rejection he could give me.

"Then on my sixteenth birthday, Mamoru confessed that he loved me too. I was in heaven." The blissful expression that overcame Serena's face was marred with the teardrops running down them. Serena gently wiped them away, not letting her friends do it for her. They glanced at each other. Perhaps her confession ought to be left for another time. But Serena stopped sniffling and cleared her throat, prepared to finish her tale to the end. "Anyway, I told him I felt the same way and, for a while we were happy." She laughed sadly. "You know, I figured I would always wait until I was married to have sex but, as you can see, it didn't really work out that way." She choked on her words, slamming her fist to the wooden boards of the room. "I wish I had waited just a little bit longer. Just a month later, had I waited, I would've known the truth. I would've known the _real _reason everything happened the way it had.

"Everything came out into the open when Uncle Artemis came to town. He had heard of father's death, many months late of course, but nonetheless, he was the only relative that had shown any actual compassion towards us. Moreover, though, he also brought us information. Apparently, the death of my father had made my grandfather a bit more welcoming towards me and Kunthan. The invitation he had sent us after father's death wasn't a casual get-together. He wanted to inform us, in person, that as the children of his favorite daughter, that we were to be granted the greatest portion of his will. This portion was to be given to us either upon his death or our eighteenth birthdays. Kunthan's portion was immediately routed to a savings account; that's how he's getting through school by the way. However, our grandfather had specified that I not be 'intimately involved' with anyone until passed my eighteenth birthday, otherwise, I was not entitled to my portion of his will.

"That's when I found out about Darien." A bitter smile crept on her face. "I found it very convenient that, right after my grandfather makes this decision, Mamoru shows up. Of course, it took me a little longer to figure out this part of the puzzle but, when I realized that Anne, Naru, Umino and even Motoki were hiding something from me, I did some investigation of my own. After this lovely little revelation, my Uncle revealed that, should Kunthan and I have refused any of my grandfather's money, our share would've passed into the hands of one Darien Shields. Uncle Artemis has a lot of resources at his fingertips and, before long, I had bank records and certain immigration documents that showed me, not only were my friends getting paid money to keep quiet, but also that I was some financial puppet to the bastard named Darien Shields. Yeah, Darien Shields, aka Mamoru Chiba, aka the son of Damien Shields, the man my mother had left a continent to get away from, but, above all, Darien Shields, the asshole that benefited from taking away my virginity."

Serena sighed, leaning against the wall, unwilling to seek out her friends' faces. "I left Japan as soon as I found out. I did exchange some…choice words with Mamoru, Darien, whatever the hell his name is. It wasn't until I got to the States that I realized I was pregnant. Remember what I said to you when I first met you? That my parents had no say in the matter? Well, it is true; they're dead now." Serena paused in her story-telling. With eyes closed, she reached into her bag and pulled out a star-shaped locket. "Kunthan told me you saw this, Mina." Serena said softly, still not looking at her friends. She opened it and soft music began to vibrate in the room. "He heard the music of my locket playing when you came to my house months ago." She offered the golden treasure to her friends. "That's her, it's Rini."

With gentleness fitted for an actual babe, Ami boldly reached out and took the locket from Serena's hands. A different compartment in the locket was open now, revealing small picture of a little baby girl with curls of pink on one side of the open locket.

"You heard me tell Darien that he doesn't have a son anymore." Serena suddenly said as the locket was passed around. "It's true; I did have his son but…" Serena coughed gently, blowing back a sob in her throat. "In the hospital, after I gave birth, a nurse came to me and told me my son had died. Kunthan says I didn't even ask about my daughter, I just passed out from the shock." A struggling smile came back on her face once again. "I was going to call him Shingo, you know."

She took back her locket as it came full circle and her shaking hands clenched against the gold as the tears she had been holding onto for the past year dropped. Amy's arm immediately came over her and Mina's hand covered Serena's clasped fingers. She looked up and, through bleary vision, saw Lita coming over to her, embracing the smaller girl from behind, letting Serena lean against a warmer and kinder frame than the cold wall. Finally, she saw Rei scoot over towards her, fresh tears streaming down her ivory cheeks. With the sincerity and touch that could only be described as angelic, Rei pressed her lips to Serena's forehead. Only when Rei felt the sad creases on Serena's forehead smooth out, did Rei pull away. And she did so, only to look into her friend's eyes, those sad cerulean eyes that saw things she shouldn't have, and say,

"Don't cry anymore, Serena." Rei said. "You're with family now." She kissed her cheek. "You're safe."

* * *

**a/n**: well, the actual **2-year anniversary** of this fic is tomorrow but i decided to cut my readers a break since i'm long overdue for an update. yeah, this has been one of my longer chapters where practically the whole thing was dialouge. i thought it kind of fitting that the last three chapters with all the juicy information have tying titles. anyway, i hope you have all enjoyed, especially now that all the mystery stuff has been moved out of the way...well, at least for Serena it's been moved. I've still got the other girls to take care of, remember? 

**review!**


	19. On the Other Side

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

On the Other Side

* * *

He hadn't shaved since the day he'd finally seen her. He had stayed in that stupid little room in their suite for over a week, refusing to come out and only eating when Alan found some way to force him to eat. All he really did was smoke and drink. Lord knows where he got those from. For all the others knew, he pulled those liver-killers and cancer sticks out of his ass, since he hadn't left the room since she had left the state. With the curtains drawn, during both day and night, he didn't have much to look at, since he had basically damaged all the other items in the room. Lamps, vases, ornaments: you name it, he broke it. With nothing to do, you'd think a young, vibrant man like him would be bored to death. But for Darien Shields, there was nothing he _could_ do, nothing he _wanted _to do. 

After all he couldn't do what he wanted because his reason had run away from him…again. He had laughed at one little coincidence between him and his father at one point: Both Shields men had managed to drive away the Cartier women that they sought after for more than just one reason. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Darien punched a hole in the wall in blind hatred: may God strike him for being anything like his father. Oh, how his darling daddy would laugh at him,

_'You're exactly like your father, you idiot.'_

He could almost see the bastard's taunting face. Darien hoped the man was dead by now, hopefully shot down by one of the gangs his father had the foolishness to do business with. No wonder Selene Cartier ran away from him. Not that it mattered now, anyways. Selene Cartier was at peace with her husband, Kenji Tsukino.

_'She deserved to be happy.'_ Darien remembered the thought that passed his mind shortly after Usagi or Serena or whoever the hell she was left. He had grown up knowing about the beautiful Selene Cartier that had been so close to his father's grasps. And she completely slipped away from him, taken (his father had told him) by that good-for-nothing snake-of-a-man Tsukino. Usagi would probably never know it, but she and her brother weren't the only ones affected by the 'sins of the father.' Well, that actually just affected Darien; His father as an ass. Kenji Tsukino loved his family, his wife, his son, and his daughter. _'I love his daughter too.'_

He could feel them coming, the tale-tell sting that every man sought to numb aside and pretend it wasn't there. He felt it every time he thought of her. They burned his eyes and a hole seemed to be forming in his chest, like a bullet ripping through his flesh and bone, imbedding itself into his very muscles. It lodged still like an unwanted pebble while the heart close to it constricted in pain. Even though he was used to the pain, it didn't stop the burning. He felt it every time he thought of her. He thought of her quite often.

He hadn't shaved in a week. He reeked of cigarettes and booze. He wasn't in the best of moods (he hadn't been for almost a year). And he was definitely not in the best condition to have a long, thoughtful, and (more importantly) sober conversation.

Then again, that never stopped Serena before.

* * *

"Aren't you a sorry sight?" Even in the dark, his pupils dilated at the sound of her voice. The melodious taunt resonated in the gloomy room like a faint echo of the dead. His neck twisted at lightning speed to look at her with caged, animalistic eyes. He looked at her for a moment, trying to see the face that was hidden in the shadows in front of the artificial light just outside his door. 

Meatball pigtails? Check

Twisted little smile? Check

Petite figure? Check

Crystalline blue eyes filled with hatred and malice for him? Double check

Serena shut the door behind her, blocking the eyes of the other occupants of the suite to the going-ons inside the room. When he didn't answer, Serena merely walked over to the covered windows. With a fluid motion, she swept both curtains aside, letting in a flood of afternoon sunlight. Darien hissed at the light.

He rubbed at his eyes. "You're a bitch."

Serena only smiled sadistically at the poor, hung-over jerk. "And you're a lying, no-account son-of-a-dick."

Darien realized that he couldn't really fight against any of those descriptions. Well, maybe the 'no-account' comment…if only he could remember what it meant.

"Alright Darien or Mamoru or whatever the fuck your name is now," Serena said. Darien still couldn't see. Was that water running? Well, that's just strange. "Time to **wake up**!"

Darien had opened his eyes of a split second only to see something coming at him. It was cold and wet. It was…

"…Water?" He stared at the substance that now covered his sitting form dumbly. Serena stood over him, a bucket in hand.

"I figured you could use some sobering up." She said then wrinkled her nose. "Plus, you stank."

"You're surprisingly chipper considering our last meeting." Darien said, looking up from his hands. "Don't suppose you're high off of something?"

Serena smirked. "Nope, sorry. That's your department." She discarded the bucket and walked over to a bag that Darien hadn't noticed was there before. He watched her walk away from him and studied her back. He'd seen the image of her back several times after she'd left. Whether in his dreams, a delusion on the streets, or a poor lady who just happened to look remotely like her from behind, Darien always watched her walking away from him.

"What do you want?" The words left his mouth before he could clearly think. But now that they were out, it made no point in bringing them back in. "You didn't seem too keen on talking the last time we saw each other."

"Well this time will be different." Serena said, turning around. She now held a small stack of papers in her hands. She seemed to be forcing that smile. "This time, the truth is going to come out completely.

"Starting with you."

Darien snorted. "Are you serious?"

"Would you like me to get more water to wake you up?" Darien stopped chuckling but the bitter smile was still on his face.

"What does it matter anyway?" He questioned. "I thought we had said all we needed to say, right? That's what you said before you took off last time."

"Last time, you took me by surprise." She said matter-of-factly. "I've had time to think."

"Oh, yay." Darien said sarcastically. "You managed to think something out in less than two weeks. Congratulations."

"I would've left five minutes ago," Serena said coolly after a moment. "However, I think I've waited long enough for answers."

Darien snorted again. "Why the hell should I tell you anything?" He laughed cynically. "I know all I need to know."

_'My son is dead'_ was mentally added to his statement but Serena already knew what he was thinking. She bit back an undignified, emotional sound in her throat and closed her eyes before the tears could come out. Darien noticed anyway and groaned, exasperated at his own stupidity. Serena heard and, once again, forced that smile on her face.

"Don't talk down to me," Serena said, trying to keep her voice steady. "As pathetic as it sounds, you should be grateful that you weren't there."

The way her voice faltered at the end stabbed at Darien repeatedly. It hurt even more to know she was right.

'I _could've been there for you.' _Stupid words. They always get stuck when you need them the most. So Darien stayed silent and continued to watch her as she seemed to gather herself and walk over to him. She sat down in front of him, a good two feet between their bodies. Together, they looked more like acquaintances rather than estranged lovers.

Of course, we all know differently.

"You owe me, Mr. Shields." Serena said simply. "You manipulated my friends, manipulated my brother, and manipulated me to further your own desires. I'll admit, giving birth without letting you know was pretty bad, but getting me pregnant for money was worse, don't you think?" Not waiting for an answer, she pushed on. "As such, I've concluded that you owe me **big**."

When Darien said nothing, she merely nodded. "So it's going to work like this, Darien. I'm going to ask you questions and you will answer these questions. There will be no conversations between us. When I am done and satisfied with your answers," She held up one of the documents on her lap and dangled it in his face. "You're going to sign this document without looking at it and I will walk out of this door and out of your life," She paused and thought for a moment. "…again."

There was a moment of silence when a tumult of emotions surged through Darien. Surprise, anger, and mild amusement filled him. You know, maybe there's this point of intoxication where you can actually see things for the first time, you know? Maybe there's a point when you can understand everything in front of your face on a level beyond what's given. In Darien's case, however, whatever amazing mental revelation was revealed to him in this state was overturned with that one word,

"Fine."

"How'd you convince Naru, Anne, and Umino to join you?" Right away, just like that. She didn't even bat a pretty eyelash.

_'She wants to get it done and over with.'_ A small voice called out. _'She's sick of you.'_

Darien chuckled sardonically. "You make it sound like I hypnotized them or something." When she didn't seem to find it funny, he shook his head to sober himself. Throwing his head back, he ran a hand down his face, feeling the whiskers he should've shaved a while ago, and sighed. "They didn't." He smirked as Serena looked at him with a frown. "They never meant to 'join' me as you put it. In fact, they've never really 'joined' me, ever.

"Umino got really suspicious when I showed up. Even more so when Alan came around." Darien explained. "If you ask me, he was more jealous about Naru than he was suspicious but it doesn't really matter at this point. Either way, he started fishing away with his little computer. As you can probably guess, he found out a couple of things he wasn't supposed to." Here, Darien paused, reflecting. The regret Serena saw in his eyes foreshadowed his narrative. "I caught him in time before the information got out anywhere else. He threatened to go public and expose me and Alan." Darien ran his tongue over his teeth. "I…coerced him to keep the information to himself."

"You threatened him?" The tone was accusing and disbelieving at the same time. He glanced up at Serena, two shades of blue, light and dark, clashing.

"No, I didn't threaten him." Darien sighed, bracing himself. "I threatened Naru."

* * *

Just like that, a huge piece of the puzzle clashed into place. 

"I'm sure you remember what Naru's mom was going through that time." Darien was going on. "Her business was just starting. It was a very fragile time for both of them. The last thing they needed was an intervention by a higher corporate power."

"Blackmail." Ugh. The simplified version sounded so ugly. Probably because it was, but still. Serena glared at him, realization dawning on her slowly.

"Not really." Darien said. "Blackmail suggests that one party holds something over another party's head while the first party is continuously given payment. In this case, Umino shut his mouth and, not only was Naru and her mother protected from outside forces, but you could say they were even financially assisted by foreign investors.

"That," Darien continued. "Is what your dear Uncle managed to find in his financial records. Transactions between Osaka Jewelries and Alan and my family's companies were meant to keep Umino quiet."

"And to develop dependence by Osaka on your families' money." Serena spat. "Wasn't it enough to hold Naru's safety over Umino's head?"

His silence answered her question. "Figures. You assholes just wanted to string Umino along. He knew that if said anything to me, not only could you wreck Mrs. Osaka's business…you could make is so she'd never be able to pay back any loans to you."

Darien rubbed his eyes tiredly. Guilt was one thing. Having your mistakes thrown back in your face was another.

"What about Anne?" Serena demanded. "Did she go along with everything Alan said?"

"Anne found out a little too late." Darien said. "So did Naru."

"How late?"

Darien sighed. "About a week or so before your uncle came into town."

"And what did you use to hold them up?" Serena glared at him. "Did you threaten their families?"

"Hell no." He said exasperated at her accusations, despite their justification.

"Hmmm. Sounds like something you'd do." She muttered loud enough for him to hear. "So what? They just went along with your bullshit? No blackmail for ladies needed?"

The disgust in his eyes was surprising. If anything, she deserved to hate him more. "Don't be deluded, Serena." He said with quiet anger. "You really did leave before anyone could explain themselves. It was fine that you didn't feel like talking to me but Naru, Umino, and Anne were a different story. You're lucky to be friends with them. They loved you and each other very much. They just didn't know who to love more."

Serena scoffed. "_You_'re telling_ me_ about love? Oh that's a riot."

"I'm serious." Darien said. "In any case, blackmail really wasn't needed." He got a funny smile on his face and a distant look in his eyes. "Anne and Naru seemed to convince themselves that it was real." He looked at her with those intense eyes. "You and me."

Her head pounded…just like it had done in the past whenever he looked at her. She turned away quickly and her hold on the papers tightened.

"This is bordering on conversation." She muttered. Gathering herself, she turned and held out the papers to him. Security paper covered all the lines above the ones reserved for signatures. There were several papers. A pen lay on top. She nodded at the held-out papers, unwilling to move any closer to him than she already was. "Sign."

The small command was enough for him. A weary arm reached out and took them. He made no effort to lift the papers, instead choosing to stare at that one long line at the bottom. He glanced up at Serena, who was looking at him expectantly.

"You gonna tell me what I'm holding?"

"Maybe." She said shortly. "Once you're done signing."

He didn't lower his eyes from hers; instead signing blindly below the security paper he could feel on his lap. When he reached the final page, he flipped everything back in place and tossed it back to her.

"Satisfied?"

"As I could be at this point." Serena said absent-mindedly, flipping through every page and making sure everything was fine.

Darien nodded at the papers. "So are you going to tell me what I just signed?"

He watched a rather creepy smile crawl into place and narrowed his eyes. She glanced up at him. "I probably shouldn't. But it really doesn't matter now that you've signed all this."

Darien watched as Serena stood up, reaching into her pocket. His eyes rounded to circles when he recognized the locket that she pulled out.

"Is that…"

Serena held the locket in her hands for a while. With a swift motion, she threw the locket at Darien. He caught it clumsily, causing the locket to open in the back compartment, revealing a photo. A photo he knew hadn't been there before…

He felt his voice choking. "Wha…" He looked at Serena, lost. "Who…"

"They were twins. The boy died after I gave birth." Serena swallowed the lump in her throat and held back the tears. "She survived." Serena held up the papers in front of his face. "And you just gave up your rights to her."

* * *

"…you bitch." The hoarse whisper rose to a hellish shout as he jumped to his feet, enraged. "You fucking liar!" Serena was unfazed, save for the small flinch in her arms that she crossed them in front of her chest in defiance. His voice roared with tortured anger. "You goddamned _hypocrite_! How _dare_ you not tell me this! How _dare_ you keep this from me!" 

His breathing went ragged but Serena continued to say and do nothing. She watched him reach his boiling point without so much as blink.

"Give me one reason," Darien growled, physically restraining himself from shaking her senseless. "_One reason_, Serena, one fucking reason not to grab those papers and shred every last one of them and take my daughter into my custody."

Serena shot a small, sad smile at the seething face less than a foot away from her own and said, "You screwed me for the sake of money, knocked out a good year of my life by getting me pregnant, and made me relocate to another continent." She swallowed. "You ruined my life."

Darien's anger subdued almost immediately as the realization crept in. He looked down at the image in his hand, the soft, rounded cheeks of the baby, pink curls sprouting abound. He wondered if it felt as soft as it looked. She nodded, almost to herself, satisfied with his comprehension. She turned around and picked up her purse.

"Can't I ever see her?" Serena paused and turned over her shoulder at him.

"I'd prefer my daughter never know about you." She said simply. "It might lead to questions about you and me. Questions I don't want to answer." She glanced at the locket in his hands. "You can keep it, it's yours after all, also providing I never find out you hand it off to some private investigators to try and find her." She waved the papers in the air again. "Or else I'll make sure that that picture you've got there is the only thing you'll see of her ever." She opened the door halfway, ready to step outside when his voice called back at her.

"Don't you want to ask me one more question, Serena?" Serena halted in place, not turning around to look at him, afraid of what she would ask if she did.

"Not particularly." She replied quickly.

"Are you sure?" Darien implored to her back, restraining himself from keeping her in that one room until he knew she truly understood what happened last year.

Serena turned around to look at him abruptly. "I'm sure Darien." She said quietly. "It doesn't matter why you did it or why you came to find me. What does matter is that everything did happen. And I, for one, want to leave it behind me." The saddest cerulean eyes he'd ever seen looked at him pleadingly. "Just let me, please?"

Her pretty blue eyes locked him in place with the guilt he knew he deserved the moment he realized that he was in love with her. She closed the door behind her, leaving him in the room by himself, holding on to his past and future, melded together and forever untouchable to him. The golden star locket he had given her shortly after he declared his love for her glinted back up at him, blinding him with the reflected light. Her face flashed in his vision and the stings came back ten times worse than before she had come.

"I'm here, Serena," He whispered to the empty room. "Because I love you." His fingers closed over the locket. "I'll always be here. Please forgive me." He dropped to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself, shielding his heart.

"_Please forgive me_."

* * *

"Forgive me God." Serena muttered as she practically raced down the hallway to the elevator. She pressed the button repeatedly. "Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me." She whispered over and over and over until the doors closed. Alone inside, hidden from all, the tears fell copiously as sobs wracked her small body in the confined space. "Forgive me God," She whimpered against the cold, steel wall. _"Forgive me for still loving him."_

* * *

**chickay**: I lied when I wrote that thing in Cupid's Last. I didn't actually have chapter 19 prepared. In fact, I wrote it all today from the second I got home...And I'm damned proud of it. :does happy dance: So yeah, hope everyone's enjoying the fun. Review and let me know, eh? Anyway, I seriously hope someone's still out there still enjoying this fic cause I know I'd get fed up with myself after such long waiting. oh yeah... 

...**REVIEW**! no really, review, I need the boost! wooh!

**9/20/05**


	20. Miscommunication

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Miscommunication

* * *

"Lita!" Koji Kino glared at his granddaughter, who jumped at his barking voice. "What's wrong with you?" 

Lita looked at her grandfather blankly for a second, as if not understanding a word coming out of his mouth. Koji frowned. "Lita, I sent you that order fifteen minutes ago! Have you even started on it? Lita!"

The brunette seemed to finally shake herself out of her reverie and stuttered, "Y-yes, grandfather…" She replied lowly, absently touching her forehead, suddenly realizing that several strands had come loose from her ponytail. She blinked rapidly, trying to wake herself up. Looking up at her grandfather, she began to remember what was going on around her as she took in the sight of the busy kitchen on the Saturday night. Taking a deep breath, Lita drew herself up. "Yes, grandfather, I sent someone to get the ingredients from the freezer but no one's come back since then."

Koji looked at his only granddaughter but his scowl stayed in place. "Don't foul up on me now, Lita." He warned lightly, turning to another cook before leaving her. Lita nodded absentmindedly, rubbing her temple lightly when her grandfather called out, "Don't forget, we've still got that wedding for Mr. Anza coming up!"

…Not the words Lita needed to hear.

Lita clenched her fists so hard that she had to restrain herself before her nails cut into her own palms. With a shaky breath, she opened her eyes, willing herself to be strong and to stay focus. So much had happened so fast. Serena's revelation to the girls, her daughter, Damien or Darien or Mamoto whatever the hell his name was…it was so much to take in.

Too much.

Lita had spent the better part of the past few nights with the other girls at Rei's temple, watching over Serena. The broken girl had taken to staying over at the temple since her return and Lita had heard Kunthan quietly explain to Rei that Serena often cried out in her sleep.

_"She screams and thrashes all night." Kunthan said bleakly to Rei, watching Mina say soothing words to his little sister, who lay in Ami's lap. Serena's head was shaking, her sobs soft. Her older brother pushed back his long, silvery-blonde hair from his concerned face. "My aunt and uncle can't do anything to help her. I wouldn't bother you with this but-"_

_And Rei had held up a hand to silence the much taller man to stop any further apologies. "It's no bother." She said simply. "Serena's our friend. She can stay here as long as she'd like."_

_"And if Rei's snoring keeps her from sleeping, she can crash at my place." Lita chirped in, making both Kunthan and Rei look at her. She nodded at Serena, who was beginning to doze off. "Serena's welcome in any of our homes as long as she needs us and even after."_

Thinking back on her words, Lita realized with a small smile at she had meant everything. Despite her abrupt appearance in their world, Serena had become an intricate part of all their lives. Welcoming her into their homes was not something she and the other girls did out of pity….it was simply friendship. It was friendship based on a connection that seemed to spark out of nowhere the moment that the petite blonde had accepted Lita's muffin from Rei's outstretched hand.

It was Destiny.

Destiny called for the girls to meet the broken angel that spent nights at Rei's temple amongst dear friends. Destiny called for Serena to come when the girls were about to endure trials and she was meant to stand as a beacon of hope, a symbol that the past can ravage us all it wants, but that the future will always remain unscathed.

And now, it seemed, Destiny was calling Lita to bury that deep-set feeling of some emotion she had felt, but feared to name, that night months ago that she met the infamous Nick Anza.

She nodded as someone dropped off the ingredients for her dish and set to work immediately. It was almost ironic, really. While Serena was willingly enduring the pain of repressing her past, Lita was here forcing herself to believe her own lies.

She chopped harder, pounding her own thoughts away.

_'It's impossible to be in love with a man I don't even know.'_ Lita argued with herself. She felt her heart clench. _'But how am I supposed to pretend that I feel nothing? There's something there…I just…'_

"Lita!" The brunette turned and faced one of the cooks, a distant look in her eyes.

"Wha-"

Jerry, a thirty-year-old cook who worshipped the ground Koji Kino walked on and who had started working for Koji Kino since he was fifteen (and never regretted a year of it), stared openly at the teenager before immediately rushing to her side. Lita looked at him, confused, until Jerry started yelling.

"Sean! Get me the first aid kit!" He shouted. "Lita's bleeding!"

Bleeding? That couldn't be right. Lita tilted her head to one side, very confused. "I'm not blee-" She stopped short when she realized that Jerry was cradling her hand. Her green eyes dropped down to that said hand…that was currently sporting a rather ugly, deep gash. Lita took a slow, shaky breath as fresh blood dripped down her hand. "That's not good."

And those were her reported last words before she fell in a dead faint in her grandfather's kitchen.

* * *

"…and I'll stay here in case she wakes up." 

Lita woke on her back, her eyes slowly fluttering open to bright lights. Assessing her surroundings with her dulled senses, Lita could feel that she was on a couch…probably the one in her grandfather's office.

"Okay then. I'll go see to Koji. He's just upset over this."

She frowned, trying to concentrate on that familiar voice. "Grandma?" She felt someone sit next to her on the couch…and saw the last person she wanted to see. She felt her throat constrict, her voice coming out hoarse. "Nick…"

* * *

Nick hadn't been at Koji's Kitchen for a while. One of the reasons was that Bethany was handling preparations on her own very well. On the other hand, Nick had been busy on his own. Midterms were coming up and Nick was having one hell of a time juggling his job and school. Of course, there was that other factor...the one that had dark hair and green eyes that made him forget that he was getting married in the first place. 

No, he hadn't seen Lita Kino in ages. But that sure as hell didn't stop him from thinking about her.

His hands tightened at the steering wheel. It was stupid. It was unexplainable… irrational. And yet, it was making Nick drive straight down the path to the restaurant Koji's Kitchen. He didn't have any real reason for going and the only excuse he could think of didn't make sense…

_I have to see Lita._

…But if he didn't see the brunette soon, Nick was going to lose it. The engine stopped and Nick looked outside at the restaurant entrance, looking quite imposing. There was a long line outside, as there usually was on Saturday nights. He wiped at his mouth, realizing that his mouth was just as dry as his throat. God, what was he doing? It was like an out-of-body experience, watching himself step out of his car, hearing the door slam behind him. As he walked toward the back entrance of the restaurant, which he knew would be open Nick began to realize something that had been happening for some time now. He was losing control. And the reason, _his_ reason, was in that kitchen.

As he reached out to the back door, the knob suddenly turned and the wooden door slammed straight into his face.

"What the hell?" Nick felt the blood dripping down from his nose before the pain was replaced by irritation. But before he could yell at the man, however, his keen eye looked past him and Nick could've sworn his heart stopped. Lita,_ his_ Lita, was slumped in someone's arms, apparently unconscious.

He had been doing that a lot often now: referring to her as being his, like a possession that he knew he could never lose simply because she could never be truly his. But in his mind, a place that Bethany had once held domain over, Lita had unknowingly conquered. Nick knew he was a coward. He had known it weeks ago, when he realized he never wanted her to belong to anyone but him. He was a coward for knowing this…and not having the balls to actually say, much less _do_ anything about it.

* * *

Lita realized then and there that Fate was a vindictive being. It was bad enough to see his face when she closed her eyes, but to know she couldn't have him and yet for him to be so close to her now was simply…_cruel_. Lita shook her head, her cheeks flushing as she realized that she had been staring at him. Shutting her eyes from looking at him, she rubbed her throbbing temple, startled at how hot she felt. 

"You have a fever." Nick said, not missing the way she seemed to flinch as he spoke. He frowned. "Lita?"

Lita didn't open her eyes. She didn't think she could handle having to open her eyes and see him right there. It was too much. Swallowing thickly, she turned on her side, not looking at him. "What happened?"

Nick knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he was staring. He also knew that he was starting not to care.

"You passed out." He said simply, watching her. "Your grandfather says that you've been overexerting yourself lately."

"Grandfather." Lita's head snapped up in attention, finally facing Nick. "Oh man. Is he mad at me?"

Nick smiled cynically. "I think he's more concerned than angry." He paused. "At least, that's what your grandmother says."

"Oh, I thought I heard her." Lita murmured, looking around Koji's office for that familiar comforting figure of her grandmother. It then dawned on her that she was with Nick…alone…in her grandfather's office.

Damn it all to hell.

Somehow, Lita managed to find her voice. Looking off in the distance, _anywhere_ but at him, she asked, "What are you doing here? I thought Bethany and my grandfather had sorted out everything for the wedding."

She felt like choking on the last word. Wedding, a ceremony that joined two souls together in spiritual harmony. And here she was, thinking that she somehow mattered in that picture. It was actually a comforting fact knowing that Nick was getting married in a month or so. It made it easier for her to pretend that she didn't feel anything. Mind you, it didn't change reality, but it was the best she could do. It was the only thing she could do to keep herself from blurting out those stupid words that couldn't and wouldn't make a difference.

Of course, she didn't know that the same word brought the man beside her back to reality as well. Nick was suddenly aware that this situation was wrong on so many levels. She was young, he was getting married, it was business…and he hated it. Apparently, some part of his brain was functioning and he managed to spit out,

"No. I mean, yes." He stammered quickly, still looking at her. Why wouldn't see look at him? Did she find him that repulsive? "Beth and your grandfather have everything under control."

She nodded faintly and Nick wondered if she actually heard him or just didn't care. "Then why are you still here?"

Nick was alarmed to hear her sound so faint, so tired. He cleared his throat, grasping for some words since he obviously couldn't tell her the truth. Granted, saying something like '_I wanted to see you'_ would've been fitting, had their situation been less precarious.

"I just wanted to stop by." It wasn't a lie. Granted, it wasn't the truth, but he could barely admit that to himself.

"Oh." That was it. Lita couldn't bring herself to say anything else. It was just so tiring. So much effort for something so futile. God, what was she doing? All this much suffering to avoid Nick had driven her past the point of exhaustion. And now, she was sick, burning with a hot fever that made her want to just sleep. Lita suddenly felt something cool on her cheek and sighed contentedly

…only to open her eyes and realize that it was Nick's hand that was now cupping her face.

"Nick." She forced out, realizing that his face was coming too close to her own. "What are you doing?"

"Shh, Lita." Nick moved so that his thumb brushed against her lips. Warning bells were blaring into his mind but, for once, he ignored them, realizing that he had to know… "I just want to know if this is something." He murmured, his breath lightly skimming off Lita's face. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over, whether from the fever or the shock he was probably giving her, he didn't know. "I just need to…"

His voice had dropped to a faint whisper and the rest of his words disappeared at the meeting of their lips. The kiss wasn't tentative to say the least. Their mouths opened easily, their tongues finding each other in a smooth rhythm. Her hands reached out to the nape of his neck, touching the tendrils of his chocolate hair that she didn't think were actually so soft to the touch. His hand wrapped around her chin, guiding her to him before holding her head in place for the kiss. It was perfect. It was _natural_. It was meant to be…or at least, it was supposed to be. Lita didn't know if the heat she felt was from her fever or from their kiss, but she was finding it increasingly hard to actually focus on something...anything for that matter. As for Nick, the warning bells had turned into a full-on siren, but he couldn't have heard it anyway with the blood pounding into his head as he kissed the girl beneath him.

But, of course, all good things have to come to an end. And when this one did, reality crept in like a vampire and practically sucked the life out of both of them. For a moment they simply stared at each other, studying the contours of each other's faces like they knew they would never see each other again. Lita sure felt like it, like this was truly the end, and she took her time, drinking in his face to solidify his memory in her mind. Nick, for his part, touched her cheek again, surprised by how soft she felt under his skin.

"Do you have any idea how wrong this is?" Lita finally spoke, her voice breaking the spell that seemed to have been woven over them. Her voice was shaking, as were her hands as she retracted them from around his neck quickly, as if he burned her. Hell, he might as well have.

"Believe me," Nick said in something akin to desperation as he still fought to catch his own breath. "I know. I know."

"Then you know that this shouldn't be happening." Her tone was accusing. How could it not be? Lita immediately felt like an idiot. She should've known that this shouldn't be happening either.

"It shouldn't," Nick admitted, still not relinquishing his hold of her. He offered a weak smile as he said, "But it is."

For a moment, when something flickered in her eye, Nick thought he wasn't completely crazy, that Lita had shared the same sentiments he'd had in the past months. For a moment, he thought-

"No."

It was single, solitary statement that fell from her lips and shattered the smile on his face.

"What?"

Lita defiantly turned her face aside, intentionally freeing her face from his grasp, yet feeling so cold where his touch had once been. "I said, no." She repeated to the couch, not wanting to look at him again. "This can't be happening."

Nick frowned at the way her tone seemed to slip into a denial state. "Lita?" He tried to reach out of her again.

…only to have his hand swatted away by her own. Pleasing cobalt clashed with cold green. "I don't know if you've caught my fever, Nicholas," She said tersely, emphasizing his full name, like they weren't familiar enough for her to call him just 'Nick.' "But my grandfather is catering your wedding to your Bethany, you know, your fiancé," She reminded him pointedly, even though she felt a sharp sting in her stomach that she knew wasn't because of the fever. "Your wedding, which is taking place in about a month and-"

Nick cut her off, eyes shut in an attempt to block it out. "Yes, I know-"

But she cut him off with, "Good." She said shortly in a business-like manner that reminded him of her grandfather. "Then you'll understand why I think you should leave now."

"What?" Nick said dumbly, looking at her. Was he wrong? Did she truly not feel-

"Are you deaf, Nick?" She was getting angry now and frustrated too. But she knew she was going to break down soon, and she wouldn't let him see her like that….she couldn't, even if that's what she truly wanted. "I want you to leave." _No I don't._ "Get out." _Please stay._

"Lita," Nick said beseechingly, wishing so much that she'd look at him so he could watch her eyes to see the truth. "You can't mean that."

"I can and I do." _No I don't! No I don't!_ "Please, Nick." _Don't leave me._

"Lita…"

"Stop it!" _Please don't hate me._ "God, haven't you done enough?" _I don't care if I get hurt, I just want you to stay and _say it.

"Please, just let me-"

"NO! That's enough Nick." _It'll never be enough. Not until you say it without me having to make you_. "Please, leave me alone." _Fight me, damnit! Can't you see?_

But a minute had already passed and Nick could only hear her words that begged him to leave.

And so he did, with only one final glance at her back, without seeing the tears gathering in her eyes.

* * *

**chickay**: Okay, you may kill me. I know I've been promising an update for months now, and I knew what I wanted to happen, it's just that the process of getting to that point was so long and hard (at least for me). In any case, I hope you've all enjoyed this installment. I do admit, though, it is slightly depressing. But before I get flamed, just remember: I like happy endings. Well, twisted happy endings, but hey, you can't win them all, can you? 

I guess this was hard for me to write since I portray this particular couple in Cupid's Last as being a lot different but thesituation isn't so easily thrown aside. Plus, I figured Lita hadn't been getting much action as of late. As for the Mina/Kunthan fans out there, don't worry, she's coming around with her own drama soon enough. This story is actually taking longer than I had originally anticipated I'm having an awesome time doing it. Hang in there, readers; I'm gonnafinish this story even if it kills me.

Until then…

Review and tell me what you love/hate/want/etc.

Posted: **11/24/05 **(Happy Turkey Day! **gooble gooble**)


	21. The Way We Were

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

The Way We Were

* * *

Mina never really knew just how strong or capable of violence she was until she was glaring down at Beryl, her own hand still curled into a raging fist. Her head still pounding with adrenaline, Mina had the sudden urge to put her hand under running water, more to wipe out any viral traces of the redheaded skank than to sooth her bruised knuckles. Her conscience reminded her that she was going to have to pay for this soon but Mina just couldn't care. 

She had just knocked out Beryl "the Bitch" Sinclair, and frankly, it felt _damn good_.

Vaguely aware that a crowd was gathering, Mina felt her mouth opening to let out a happily-strangled bark of laughter, equally shocked by her own actions as she was pleased with the result, namely, Beryl sprawled on the front steps of New Moon Academy. Several of Beryl's followers had backed up in terror when the blonde model sucker-punched their 'leader.' One stepped up in time to save Beryl's oversized head from cracking on the concrete. Mina looked down at the girl, a lower classman, probably completely unaware of what Beryl was truly capable of. The follower tried valiantly to shake the unconscious redhead before training accusing and incredulous eyes at Mina.

"Are you crazy?" She demanded almost hysterically. "Don't you have any shame?"

Mina's lips closed into a lopsided grin while her eyes seemed to cloud over in a hazy recollection of a memory she wasn't very proud of.

* * *

_"Beryl's fine… back off already!"

* * *

_

"I'm perfectly sane." Mina said aloud coolly, pushing the memory away and turning her malicious eyes on the dumb girl. "But you're the crazy one, if you think she'd so much as spare you a glance if you were the one down there."

Mina didn't get a chance to see the girl's reaction because someone suddenly tugged at her arm. Mina was surprised at the hold as she stumbled backwards away from the scene. It was a strong and firm grip, yet almost…tender. She tore her eyes from the gradually shrinking figures of Beryl's prostrate form and the curious after-school gatherers and, through stray strands of her golden hair, saw Kunthan Tsukino watching her with a strange little smile that told her he had seen everything.

Somehow, this made her victory even sweeter.

* * *

Mina looked up at the Crown Arcade before throwing Kunthan a curious glance. 

"Why are we here?"

Kunthan only smiled. He hadn't said anything since he pulled her out of the fray outside the school just about ten minutes ago and led her to his motorcycle. She continued to sit sideways on the contraption, the same position she had been in during the ride since she was wearing her school skirt. He held out a hand to her.

"You punched out the girl who's been making my sister's life at school a living hell." He said shortly, shrugging. "I figure a thanks is in order."

Mina looked at him incredulously, as if gauging whether or not he was serious. In the end however, she took the outstretched hand that led her inside.

"You know," Kunthan said as they sat down in a booth. "I didn't figure you for a fighter."

"Jaden had his share of fights growing up." Mina said carelessly with a smirk. "And Haruka was anything but dainty. I've learned from the best."

"Perhaps." Kunthan conceded, chuckling. "But I never knew someone with your size could throw such a punch."

"Beryl's a stick with weave." Mina said bluntly. "It doesn't take more than a breeze to knock her out."

Kunthan laughed, a sound he realized had been foreign to his own ears for a while. Mina watched as he grew subdued and she had a pretty good reason as to why.

"Uncle Artemis is telling the staff that there has been a death in our family." He said almost conversationally. Mina only nodded, knowing the excuse they were giving people so that they wouldn't question Serena's sudden disappearance. "There might as well have been one." Kunthan smiled when he saw Mina looking at him quizzically. He straightened up and leaned forward to her. "My sister died when she found out what Darien was. She died when she realized her friends knew everything. She died again when-" Kunthan paused for a moment, his hand coming up to his mouth, as if searching for the right words on his lips to say before, "She died when the baby died."

Mina winced at the thought. How horrible it must've been for Serena. How could she just go on after so many losses?

"But here," Kunthan suddenly said, looking up at Mina's eyes. "Here, she was reborn. She was healed." He took up his drink and made a small toast to the blonde before him. "And I have you and your friends to thank for that."

Mina returned his smile with another one of her own. Kunthan took a sip from his drink and suddenly frowned, looking down at their table. Mina cocked her head to one side, wondering what was troubling him and followed his gaze

…down to her own, red, bruising hand. She watched wordlessly as Kunthan reached out with his own larger hand with that same strong and tender hold and brought her hand to his face for closer examination. She squirmed in her seat slightly.

"It's not that bad." She tried to say.

"Well, despite her being a stick with a weave," Kunthan murmured, breathing against her bruised knuckles. "That girl obviously has a very hard head."

Mina offered a small reassuring smile. "I just bruise easily."

But Kunthan wasn't paying attention. His other hand had reached out at the water pitcher left on their table, reaching for an ice cube. Mina watched with curious fascination as Kunthan lightly brushed the ice over her bruised knuckles. She smiled at the gesture.

"That isn't necessary." She said then stopped. "But thank you anyway."

Without looking up from his task, Kunthan said, "I think I'm the one that's supposed to be thanking you."

Mina started at the statement, forcing her smile to stay in place. "What do you mean?" She asked innocently.

Kunthan finally looked up and Mina saw that he had a cynical smirk in place as he said, "I heard that girl insult my sister." He said shortly, watching Mina's cheeks redden slightly. "You don't have to be embarrassed, you know." He said suddenly. "I would've gone over there myself but I saw you had everything under control.

Mina chuckled, suddenly diving into her own memory to cherish that look on Beryl's face right before Mina's fist connected with her nose.

* * *

_Kunthan looked up at the New Moon Academy, eyes scanning the crowd for that head of blonde hair that singled out Mina from the crowd. He knew the other girls were busy that day and that Mina was sure to go to the Cherry Hill Temple right after school He figured the least he could do was offer her a ride. Then he saw her. She was walking down the front steps of the school and he was just about to call out to her when a red-nailed hand sought out Mina's arm. He frowned as he looked at the intimidating girl that held Mina back._

_Red hair that reminds you of an apple on fire. Violet snakelike eyes. Teeth that resemble the fangs of a vampire…_

_So this was the infamous Beryl. Kunthan had to hand it to his sister, even if he usually wasn't one to judge people based on appearances. However, this girl seemed to practically ooze out love-me-or-I-will-kill-you vibes. And now, it seemed she was sending the same message to Mina. After the last encounter between the two girls at the modeling set a while ago, Kunthan had gotten the gist of their relationship although Mina did have to elaborate on the details. Sensing that there could potentially trouble, Kunthan got off his motorcycle and began walking over to the duo, who were gradually gaining an audience thanks to Beryl's loud, grating voice that sounded an awful lot like metallic noise of dull nails being scrapped against a blackboard. He stopped, however, when he heard his sister's sweet name being uttered by that foul mouth._

"…_Is that your excuse?" Beryl was taunting. "I heard she got knocked up. Such a pity, she was such a pretty little thing. That _little slut_." A derisive laugh. "Looks like you've been sharing your knowledge, right Mi-"_

_Right about then was when Mina's fist collided with Beryl's face. Kunthan was relieved and disappointed at the same time.

* * *

_

Now _that_ was victory. Kunthan watched that smile on her face spread and he knew Mina was reliving that moment of triumph. He had reached out and grabbed the girl before anything else could've happened, since Beryl's cronies looked stuck somewhere between scared and indignant on the part of their fallen leader. The thought almost made him laugh.

"…Beryl was my best friend."

"Wha- Ow!" Kunthan had snapped his back up so fast that he felt the muscles crack in his neck. Wincing in one eye, Kunthan looked over at Mina in disbelief. "What the hell?"

Mina gave a mocking smile. "Trust me. It's not exactly a happy chapter of my life, that's for sure."

Kunthan was still frowning, his mind trying to concentrate. He knew there had been issues between Mina and Beryl, but this didn't really make much sense. Mina smiled at his confusion.

"I'm not too sure if you could call us 'friends' per se." She said, almost like an afterthought. "When it comes down to it, I don't think Beryl's capable of showing that kind of emotion even to her reflection, let alone a human being." Mina sighed, eyes closed in an effort to block out an earlier memory that had resurfaced that day before she continued. "If anything, Beryl and I had this mutual respect for each other. We were both popular at New Moon last year, despite being only sophomores. I know." She rolled her eyes and laughed when Kunthan made a silly face. "It sounds very 'Mean Girls'-ish .But it was, sadly, the truth. Beryl figured since she sure as hell couldn't get rid of me, she'd just have to accept me. In a way, she was abiding to that whole, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' crap. Stupid me actually thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad." Mina's hand involuntarily clenched, gripping Kunthan's hand, not realizing that he was still holding her. "I gotta say, most of last year is a story that I would rather forget." And she happily would've. While she was born a socialite and unlike her sister Haruka, had relished in the spotlight of many occasions, never until the year before had Mina gone all-out. "My parents never really cared what I did as long as it wasn't too public and Beryl seemed to have a hand in practically everything that wasn't legal. Sad to say, I actually went along with her on her escapades." Mina sighed once more, taking in another deep breath. Despite having occurred last year, it was still something that nagged at her to that day. She wasn't proud of what she had done, how she had allowed herself to be lead around by Beryl, to fall into the redheaded vixen's world of gossip, lies, and money. "Mom and dad didn't particularly care either way who I hung out with," Mina said softly. "But the girls did." Kunthan watched as she shuddered at another memory, wondering what it could be.

* * *

"_Beryl's _fine_." Mina all but screamed at them. She watched Rei and Lita exchange glances while Amy looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Aggravated by their repeated attempted sabotages of her and Beryl's outings, Mina turned up her pretty nose and said, "_You're_ the ones with the problem." She caught the looks of disgust and disbelief in her friend's eyes and saw Rei's mouth opening to let out an angry retort but she cut her off before. "It's your own fault for getting in her way." She reached out and grabbed her purse from Lita's shocked hands. "_And in mine_." Finally, feeling her frustration level hit its peak, she just shouted, "_**Just back off already**_!"

* * *

_

"'Just back off already.'" Mina repeated the words slowly and monotonously, feeling the letters rolling on her tongue and growing sick as she did so. She was staring off into space and Kunthan only watched her until her blue eyes seemed to regain focus and turned on him. "Funny, isn't it?" She asked rhetorically. "How, one day, you look back on the you from yesterday and feel such and overwhelming rush of disgust." Mina suddenly smiled sadly. "How you can regret a lifetime with one little memory."

"That's, of course, where Ace entered the picture." She added. Kunthan couldn't help the twitch of a snarl on his mouth when he heard the man's name. Only one encounter with the simpering model and he had already established that Ace was anything but the gentleman he was portrayed at in magazines. If anything, the man was a bloody jackass. Mina only smiled at Kunthan's reaction, feeling very grateful to have someone to share her story with, amazed that she hadn't told anyone about it before. The girls had simply understood and let it pass. But she had never actually spoken about it…until now. "Ace and Beryl often went hand-in-hand, or tongue-in-tongue, if you really want to be specific. Ace and I gradually became an item, much to Beryl's discontent. Gotta say, she's a sneaky little bitch." Mina laughed scornfully. "Ace was horribly attached to me, but the little bugger would keep bugging me to take our relationship to the 'next level.'" She shuddered again at the thought and genuinely smiled when she saw that Kunthan was doing the same. "And yet, despite the fact that I'd keep putting him off, Ace wouldn't leave me, which made Beryl even more pissed than she usually is." Mina sighed, absently drumming her fingers against Kunthan's closed hold over her hand. She always hated thinking about this part of the story. "So one day, when Ace and Beryl and I are at this party, Ace keeps suggesting that he and I head over to one of the private rooms. As usual, I tell him to either take 'no' for an answer or just take Beryl." She actually giggled at that comment, remembering how much she loved telling it to Ace's face just to bug him. "Sometime along the night, I guess I get a little drunk, which I thought was strange, since I can usually hold my alcohol pretty well. My memory's still hazy about that night, but I do remember, at one point, sitting up on a bed, half-naked and watching Lita dropkick Ace to the floor with the rest of his clothes." The twitch of Kunthan's eyebrow did little to betray the inner boiling pot in his stomach.

"He drugged you."

Mina looked at him fully now, snapping out of her own memories. "No, he didn't." She said. "Beryl did."

Kunthan's frown was hard, which was nothing to say for the inner turmoil that was screaming in his own head. Was that girl so heartless that she would do that to another person? Could she even be considered a person? Kunthan suddenly recalled the model's words to Mina months ago…

* * *

_"We did have some unfinished business."

* * *

_

…and it reaffirmed his belief that there were real monsters on this planet.

"Amusingly enough," Mina was saying. "Beryl had been bragging to her little friends how she was planning to get me out of the picture, since when Ace finishes with a toy, he moves on." Mina felt his grip tighten over the hold they had across the table and smiled, inexplicably happy to have someone angry for her. "Thanks to her big mouth, Amy overheard everything and got Rei and Lita to help me out." Mina swallowed thickly and closed her eyes, willing the tears at bay. "I really am far too lucky for my own good." She joked. "Lord knows what could've happened if they hadn't got-"

Mina felt her head being lifted and opened her eyes in time to see Kunthan forcing her to face him. The look of compassion on his face almost made her cry out loud right then and there.

"Mamoru was my best friend." Mina stopped struggling with her tears as Kunthan spoke. Were her ears deceiving her? The smirk on her companions face answered that question for her. "Looks like we're both bad judges of character, eh?" Mina couldn't help the bubble of laughter that surfaced at her throat, grateful for the release of tension in the moment. Kunthan smiled as she laughed, never once releasing her face or her hand, feeling that it was so much better than letting her go. "I met him when I was helping Serena move into my apartment, after…after Father died." Kunthan said after a moment. "I personally thought he was harmless and it was pretty amusing to watch him and my sister ague with each other. Truth be told, I wasn't necessarily happy about him, but he seemed respectable enough and after a while, he had become a confidant of sorts of mine." He paused and Mina brought up her other hand to his on her cheek, encouraging him to continue. She had heard Serena's side, but she had wondered what it had been like for Kunthan, who had to watch everything unfold. "I wasn't exactly a very friendly person in those days," An exaggeration, his sister would probably say, since he was about as passionate as a brick wall until they moved to the States. "But seeing Usagi and…Mamoru together brought something in me that I hadn't expected. Hope and happiness, On the part of my sister. I was glad in thinking that there was now someone who would watch over her aside from me. It gave me comfort, the thought that she had someone that would protect and love her all the same." Here, his vision got cloudy with left-over rage. "I can still remember the last time I saw him." Kunthan said gruffly and Mina was slightly startled at how rough his voice sounded now, like a weather-beaten melody. He gestured to the hand that held hers on the table. "I punched him with that hand first, before breaking his arm."

Mina's eyebrows rose simultaneously. While Kunthan had shown that he was protective and loving of his sister, never before had he shown such dangerous animosity…to a man not even in his presence nonetheless.

"We have more in common than I had thought originally." Kunthan said in an almost upbeat manner to Mina. She smiled, a movement of skin against his palm on her cheek.

"What's that?"

"Our problem is that we can't seem to forgive our enemies." He said blandly. "But I oftentimes wonder if it's really them who need to be forgiven."

Mina's smile grew and infectiously hopped over to his face.

"'We forgive others when we forgive ourselves.'" She quoted wisely.

"Eric Hoffer." Kunthan stated the man's name after getting over the pride of her knowing what he was talking about. And he knew that Mina _did_ understand. He knew, all along, that the anger he had within himself was not so much hatred for Mamoru, let alone his sister for the situation, since they were all pawns to Mamoru/Darien's father, Damien Shields. Kunthan had realized a while ago, shortly after breaking Darien Shield's arm, that he was most angry with himself, for not being to protect any of them, Usagi, her friends, and even that bastard Darien. Kenji Tsukino had trusted Kunthan with Usagi's welfare and look what had happened.

"…It didn't happen because of you, you know." Kunthan looked over at Mina, not realizing that he had zoned out to his own flashbacks. She smiled understandingly. "Serena loves you regardless." Mina said. "And she sure as hell doesn't blame you for what happened to her." She paused. "I don't think she really blames Mamoru or Darien for it either."

"Yet you blame yourself for your actions against your friends last year?" The question caught Mina off guard and it took her a moment to regain herself.

"I'm not sure if it's the same." Mina said slowly. "I was…

* * *

"_Shut up! Stay the hell out of my life! Get out of my face. Who do you think you are? Do you honestly think I'd associate myself with low-lives like you? As if! Keep dreaming idiots. I'm meeting _better_ people and I don't need any of you dragging me down to your social pit holes."

* * *

_

Mina closed her eyes aginst her own harsh words to the people who she loved and cared for the most. "I was horrible, Kunthan."

"I was negligent."

"I was cruel."

"I was indifferent."

"I was spiteful."

"I was rash."

"I let her down." Mina's eyes rimmed with tears at Kunthan's words.

"I let them down." Kunthan caught the droplets before they fell on the countertop, brushing them away with his thumb.

Cupping Mina's face in his own, Kunthan knew that he had no right to forgive Darien, Alan, Anne, Naru, Umino, Damien Shields, Selene's father Roi Cartier, or any others who had a hand in the twisted scheme just as Mina had no right to forgive Beryl or Ace. Whether or not it was in the conscious of the guilty, Kunthan and Mina were not to decide who was to be forgiven. They only had the right to forgive themselves, something they hadn't allowed for in a futile effort to hold on to the anger instead of accepting the hurt.

It was shameful, both of them realized at the same time, to hold on to their pride when people like Serena, who opened themselves to experience, to love, and to be hurt, existed and walked the earth with the golden strength and resolve of a deity.

their past was shameful, Mina conceded, but as she held Kunthan's hand and they walked up the stone steps of the Cherry Hill Temple, Mina felt, for the first time in a very long time, that maybe, just maybe, the hurt would be okay to bear…

She turned back and saw Kunthan watching her and smiled.

Yes, it would be okay to bear, as long as they weren't walking into the future alone.

* * *

**chickay**: at least this is less than a month's wait, right, right:cricket's chirping: anyways, i must say i'm pleased with this chapter and my readers can expect more of them in the upcoming weeks since christmas is right around the bend. yay! i realize that there's been more dialogue than actual actions and i'm actually curious if you guys prefer otherwise. it's just that, now that we are approaching the end, i'm trying to tie up the loose strings of this story, which, if you've been reading this story from the start, is more like a raggedy-ann doll struck by lightning than a tapestry of concrete plot. everything's getting dragged out since i hate having to compile too many couples in one chapter because i like being able to focus on each relationship even if it is bugging a lot of my readers. but don't lose faith! i will deliver...soon...i hope.

in any case, expect more of my chapters to be out soon, both for MAMC and CL and, in the meantime read and review and make my holidays brighter (not that they aren't already!)!

**posted: 12/12/05**


	22. Heaven’s Fall

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**: My Love and My Mistake

Heaven's Fall

* * *

_"What is this?" She asked, touching his face. He turned his cheek towards her hand, relishing the feel of her warm hand._

_"I don't know." He said lightly. And he really didn't. He couldn't really think straight at that moment._

_She pressed her forehead to his, looking down, thoughtful. "What're we doing?" She asked, almost pleading for an answer._

_He laughed a bit, wrapping his arm around her waist tighter. "What do you want me to say?"_

_She bit her lip, something he loved. "I don't know." She said softly, something wholly uncharacteristic of her._

_He kissed her lips lightly before admitting with a sigh, "Neither do I."_

_There was a moment of silence in which they held each other like that until…_

_"…So what is this?" He pulled away from her, searching deep into those eyes that he knew better than his own. He kissed her gently._

_"Nothing." He said against her mouth, feeling his heart clench at the lie but knowing what she needed to hear. "It's nothing."_

_And when he leaned in for another kiss, he missed that fleeting look of pain that crossed her face.

* * *

_

"I sense a love-match in the making." Amy looked up from where she was reading by Serena's sleeping form and glanced at Rei.

"Is your sixth sense acting up again?" The brain half-teased Rei. The brunette only grinned.

"Who needs to see the future when my own eyes work just as well?" Rei continued to grin as Amy frowned, quizzically. The priestess-in-training then gestured to the window she sat by, motioning for Amy to come closer.The window overlooked the steps leading up to the temple, upon which, Amy now saw, Mina and Kunthan Tsukino were coming up on. Normally, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal, that is, if the two weren't holding hands and seemingly looking at each other like nothing was there.

"Well, well." Amy murmured, smiling. "This will be interesting."

_Yawn._ "What will?" Both girls turned away from the window to see Serena rubbing her red eyes, rising from her sleep.

"Hey sleepyhead." Amy said, walking back towards her companion. "You've been out for a while."

Serena smiled lazily. "It was a good nap." She looked over at Rei, covering her mouth from another yawn. "So what were you two talking about?"

"Your brother," Rei said, also moving to the blonde. "And Mina."

The Amy and Rei's mild surprise, Serena _wasn't_ surprised. Her eyebrows went up a little before she chuckled. "Well," She stretched. "It's about time."

The screen door to the room opened and Lita walked in, holding a tray in her hands. She saw Serena awake and smiled warmly, despite her pale complexion.

"Good morning, Serena." Lita said jokingly, gesturing to the sun going down in the distance. "Hungry?"

As if on cue, the blonde's stomach growled loudly and Lita only laughed, setting down the tray containing Serena's dinner by her futon. As Serena took a bowl from the tray and thanked Lita, Rei's eyes trailed to Lita's hand that was wrapped in a bandage, a memory of her encounter with Nick Anza this past weekend. Rei and the others had noticed Lita's subdued nature as of late, not to mention how her normally bright cheeks had seemed to lose their color since she had last since Nicholas Anza. However, as friends who read each other better than sisters, the others had not approached the subject since Lita seemed like she wanted to do anything else but, including taking a break from cooking in her grandfather's restaurant for a while, unable to really think clearly, with _the _wedding approaching so closely. Rei looked outside her window again to see Kunthan pulling back on Mina's hand and pulling his whole arm around her in a comfortable manner that Rei had to smile at.

At least Mina and Ami have semi-stable love lives, Rei thought bleakly, resting her chin on the window pane and feeling a fall wind passing over her. Her thoughts strayed to Jaden and how she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the man since she had so cruelly blown him off. Mina had let it drop in a recent conversation that Jaden was considering going back abroad around Christmastime. Rei suspected that his sister had already guessed that there was something going on between them, but like Lita, Rei preferred not to think too much of it. To think of it would be to remind herself that Jaden had been right and she had been wrong. At this point, Rei wasn't sure if her pride could take the beating she had given her own heart.

A golden glint in the corner of her eye caught her attention and her head whipped in that direction, following a figure with fair hair that was walking towards the temple as well. Without really thinking twice, Rei had risen from her position and shot out a brief excuse to her friends before barreling out of the room. She nodded a brief hello to both mina and Kunthan at the entrance and hurried along the outside corridor of the temple, seeing the huge sakura tree that was present in the courtyard of the temple. Its branches were pretty much bare now, but she caught sight of that same blonde head coming over to the tree, a tentative hand reaching to its bark. Rei stopped running to catch her breath and opened her mouth to call out…

* * *

_She tried to cover her mouth to not make a noisebut found that her hands were shaking as she reached the door._

'Stupid.'_ She berated herself, shouldering her bag. Against her own thoughts, she looked behind her at the sleeping figure on the bed. Clenching her fist so hard that she could feel her nails digging into her palm, she felt disgust at herself well up inside. Fighting back something that felt suspiciously like tears, Haruka forced herself to turn that knob and walk out._

_Haruka shook her head, stopping where she was as she tried to mentally block out that particular memory. Even now, months after the fact, her thoughts always managed to stray back to that. Sighing, she looked around and saw that the temple hadn't changed at all since she had last seen it.

* * *

_

_At least some things stay the same._ She thought wryly with a smile. The sweaty images flashed through her mind and she stopped smiling, closing her eyes once again to make it all go away. She'd been doing it a lot lately. She continued walking down the wooden porch of the temple, her bare feet sliding over the floor in sweet memories of the times she had spent at this temple since she was four years old.

Laughter around the corner cut off her thoughts and she pressed herself against the wall, feeling rather sneaky and foolish, realizing that it was a habit she had as achild, playing hide-and-seek at the temple. Rolling her eyes at her own behavior, she peeked down the corner.

…just in time to see Mina, her little sister, walk into the temple's Tea Room with a silver-haired man (no, not even a boy) in tow. Haruka's jaw dropped in amused shock. She pushed herself off the corner as the door closed, every devilish and embarrassing moment Mina ever had in mind, ready to be unleashed.

But she stopped short. Even with the dying sun, she could make_ it_ out.

Without really thinking about it, Haruka went past the tea room, not really hearing the laughter and sounds from inside, her eyes focused on_ it_.

* * *

_At the only modeling shoot that Haruka had been conned into, she managed to ruin her makeup, smudge her dress, and run away within half an hour. She was four, barefoot, and hopelessly lost once she managed to run off the set in the park. It was then that she came upon the funny-looking house with the strange roof and the screen doors._

_An old man wearing a robe was sitting on the outside corridor, making silly faces at a small baby in his arms. He had seen her and, with a curious smile, had motioned her to come closer. Cautiously, Haruka had approached him before her attention turned to the baby in his lap. She looked to be about Mina's size, only her eyes and hair were far darker than anyone in her family's. Old Man Hino had asked Haruka what she was doing at the temple by herself and she had told him that she was lost and wanted to go home. Sniffling, Haruka wished aloud that someone would find her. The old man had smiled at her in his grandfatherly affection and pulled out a strip of paper and pointed to a pretty, pink tree closeby. He told her to write her wish on the paper and hang it on the tree's branches so that the heavens would see her wish and grant it for her._

_At the time, Haruka's four-year-old mind reasoned that, the closer she was to the sky, the quicker her message would reach the heavens. And so, she had climbed that great tree, snagging her pretty white dress on the branches on the way up. One particular snag, however, wouldn't let her go and Haruka had slipped after tying a perfect knot in the highest branch she could reach. She remembered feeling the rush of the air beneath her as the ground got closer in her vision…_

_And then she had dislocated her shoulder landing on top of a little boy with dark hair and wet cheeks, surrounded by cherry blossoms. Haruka had been very scared, thinking that she had killed him. Her little mind worked hard and quick and she recalled the fairy-tales her nannies told her about princesses that woke up when they were kissed by prince charmings. She wasn't a prince, and the boy definitely wasn't a princess but she had kissed him all the same._

_And when he opened his eyes, he looked at her with a smile like he knew her… and Haruka promised herself that she would never hurt the boy who had saved her. She also knew she would always be safe with the boy known as Seiya when he touched her face and said, "I've found you."_

* * *

The tree. The place it had started. The place where she met…_him_. Before she knew it, Haruka was standing in front of that cherry blossom tree, its trunk gnarled and large from its years of age. Without thinking about it, she reached out a palm to the tree, feeling the rough veins beneath her fingers. Haruka wasn't particularly spiritual, but she had always had a connection to this tree. This place. 

It was then that she turned her head, feeling those eyes on her. And she saw him watching her…

* * *

_He watched her through hazy vision as she tried to catch her breath. Haruka caught his eye and, without even thinking about it, he leaned down on the bed, kissing her deeply as she wrapped an arm around his neck, sighing contently. When the kiss finally broke, he planted feather kisses down her neck. Wrapping his arm around her bare stomach, Seiya pressed his face against her hair, whispering incoherent words that only she understood._

_At that precise moment that he fell into a gradual slumber, Seiya held on to her tighter, thinking that there truly was no other place he would rather be.

* * *

_

Seiya had wanted to drop by the temple to see Rei. He didn't come as often to the temple, since he usually had issues to deal with at the club but he made an effort when he could to see her.

Turning from his car, he tucked his hands into his pocket and headed for the steps leading up to the temple. He stopped and moved back however, when he saw a couple moving up the same stairway. He recognized little Mina Aino but the other person, a tall man with hair the color of silver, wasn't anyone he knew of. However, he knew that Rei's friend, Serena was spending much time at the temple nowadays and he reasoned that this could very well be her brother, Kunthan Tsukino. He was about to open his mouth and call out a greeting when he saw Kunthan let go of Mina's hand and bring his arm around her shoulder in a gesture that was anything but platonic. Seiya quirked an eyebrow and decided not to speak, instead waiting until the duo was out of his sight to continue up the steps.

He didn't particular enjoy walking in on couples. When he reached the top, his eyes, as usual, fell on the cherry blossom tree. It was bare now, but, regardless it held so many memories for him that its appearance did nothing to hinder his reverence for it. Unfortunately, he became very distracted when he saw a head of golden hair not belonging to Mina Aino move into his sight. She had her back turned to him but he knew by her stance, her body that it was her. And when she placed a hand at the tree's bark, she turned her head slightly, meeting his gaze…

Haruka knew it was Seiya before she fully turned around. She always seemed to know whenever he was around since that day they first met, when he found her. It wasn't always a welcome thing. Currently, he stood off in the distance for a moment, just watching her.

"See something you like?" She teased lightly, surprised at how jagged her voice sounded to her own ears.

His eyes seemed to flash something for a moment, before her replied monotonously, "Not really." Seiya's facial expression didn't change but Haruka only snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Ease up, Seiya." She said, turning her attention back to the tree.

She heard his footsteps moving closer. "Why are you here?" He asked her back, finding it strange the he preferred talking to her shoulders than to her face.

Not turning around, she replied. "Mina needed a ride back." Not even thinking about it, she smiled. "However, she seemed pretty comfy with that guy so I figured I'd give her a couple of minutes on her own."

"How big of you." He said sarcastically. Haruka turned to him sharply.

"I don't think I like your tone." She said lowly, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I don't think I really care." Seiya shot back in a tone that would've shown composure had it not been for the burning bitterness behind it.

In their younger years, this type of banter would've been funny…comical. But, watching it from afar now, Rei couldn't help but shiver from the icy exchange. They had never been like this before. They were Ruka and Sei: Sei and Ruka. Never had a day gone by in the past that they hadn't exchanged words with each other. Even when their parents sent them to vacations on opposite ends of the world, they managed to contact each other and, somehow, someway, even found a way to meet each other up in the Hawaiian Islands...Rei and Mina always wondered how the hell they managed to pull that one off. Looking back and forth between Sei and Ruka from her hiding position, Rei couldn't help but watch…and wonder what on earth had happened to cause so much animosity between the two.

"Sei, what the fuck is your problem!" Haruka suddenly demanded loudly, causing Rei to jump slightly at her tone. The younger girl shook her head in disbelief. This was so wrong.

"What's _my _problem?" Seiya repeated, enraged as he stomped towards her. "What the hell is yours?" His face was dark and his forehead creased in a scowl.

"I don't_ have_ a problem." Haruka retorted hotly. "Unlike some seriously disturbed bastard who seems to be PMSing more than I have in the last three years altogether, I am perfectly happy with myself and don't feel the need to piss off at an old friend."

"'An old friend?' " He repeated once more, voice shaking with fury. Rei watched her brother close in on Haruka's face menacingly. "Is that all I am?"

"Of course it is." She said firmly, meeting his close-range glare with the same amount of intensity. "What else would you be to me?"

"How about a lover?" He snapped. "That should qualify for something shouldn't it?" Rei's jaw dropped as Haruka glared at Seiya, furiously clenching her fists, ready to strike but he was still going on, taunting, "Or do one-night stands even count in your book?"

Haruka felt her face heat up in frustration and humiliation. "Gee, I don't know Seiya," She replied, voice laced with anger and sarcasm. "How do you rate _your_ bitches?"

"**Don't. You. Dare**." He hissed harshly at the girl. "Don't you dare, Haruka."

"Go to hell." She spat out, bringing her hands up to push back her hair. "It was _ages_ ago, Seiya!" Haruka exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. Her face was flushed, her teal eyes narrowed and glowing with hate and anger. "You even said it yourself." She struggled. "It didn't mean anything then, remember? So why the hell does it matter to you _now_?"

A vague expression of something passed his expression. Was that pain she saw? But it left as quickly at it came before she could say anything. He licked his lips, silent for a moment. "So you're telling me that it meant nothing to you?" He asked slowly and deliberately.

"I never said that." She snapped quickly. Too quickly.

"Oh? Is that so?" He demanded eagerly, catching her. "So you just felt like fuck-"

Any further crude and half-thought comments he was planning to make were cut off by the sharp slap the girl before him delivered against his cheek. He touched his injured face and glared at her through angry cobalt eyes. She scowled back with hurt and pained teal eyes. It wasn't until that he saw that they were filled with tears that had been unshed for almost a year did he realize he had crossed the line.

He backed away slowly, breathing hard, his dark eyes not wavering their gaze on her shaking body. He backed himself until he felt the bark of the huge tree and he slid down, collapsing until he felt the rough roots beneath him. Seiya closed his eyes, breathing heavily and mentally counting to ten, trying to calm himself. When he looked up, he saw the blonde sitting down like him, knees gathered to her chest, wrapped in her own arms as she rocked herself slowly, shoulders shuddering.

For some strange reason, Seiya found himself searching his expanse memory with this blonde angel for a time when she had cried. In the thirteen or so years that he recalled her being at his side, he could only find one time.

It was at the accident years ago, when Jaden had been involved in the car crash. They always referred to it as the crash; it was just that heinous. They were just stupid kids at the time, doing stupid things that they swore they would withstand. They were young. They were invincible.

But when they saw Jaden's body fly out the windshield, they realized that they were so wrong.

They were in the hospital together, waiting. They were waiting for Minako or Rei to come see if they were okay...or for Mr. and Mrs. Aino to arrive...or for some news from the doctors. Just _anything _to change the torturous waiting pace. They were sitting in the waiting room side-by-side, he remembered. His leather jacket hung over her shoulders as she leaned on him for physical and emotional support. With the happenings in the past hour, Seiya was afraid she would've collapsed. However, she was still awake, leaning on his shoulder with wide and tired eyes that refused to close until any news was brought about her twin's condition. And then doctor came in. It was like an out of body experience as he watched the doctor deliver the news that Jaden had slipped into a coma. Haruka suddenly turned into a rag doll right before his eyes.

She had slumped forward, losing her footing as her legs gave way and her head dropped lifelessly as he rushed forward to hold her up. She sobbed into his chest and they held on to each other for dear life. She held on to him, her pillar of support and protection. He held on to her, as if letting her leave his arms meant that she would be liable to become as distant as Jaden was to him at that point.

He couldn't help but scoff at the memory. The only time he could remember the woman crying and he was the one comforting her in it. And now…

He looked over at the angel with tears rolling down her face. _He_ had caused those tears. _He_ had scarred that beautiful face with the liquid remnants of pain that she had been holding back for the longest.

Seiya gazed at the vision of beauty that he knew for more than half his lifetime that sat a mere three steps in front of him. And yet...

He had never felt so far away from her.

* * *

_When Seiya and Rei had been much much younger, their mother had often taken them to their paternal grandfather's temple. She was often at peace in the temple and both children enjoyed the company of their robust grandfather who would've done just about anything to see them smile. And when they did come to the temple, Seiya had always felt an affinity with that cherry blossom tree that had only grown with age. He thought it very peaceful, remembering his mother sitting under that tree with him and his then-baby sister, Rei. He thought it funny that he remembered her best that way, under the tree, only a few weeks before her illness overtook her. _

_Even then, although he had been a very young child, around five at the time, he had felt that something was wrong with his mother. When he had tried to confront her, she had smiled at her son's maturity and admitted that yes, she was to go away very soon and that Seiya would have to help take care of Rei without his mother's help. Seiya had protested, saying in his young vocabulary that his mother was the only one who could make Rei stop crying in the middle of the night. _

_Kakyuu Hino had smiled at her young son and, with a kiss on his forehead, promised to send him an angel to help him through whatever trouble he might have. After she died, Seiya had gone to the same tree in a subconscious effort to try and reclaim whatever essence of his mother had been left behind in its bark. It was spring and the blossoms were coming off the branches in their prime. Rei had just turned one without knowing her mother. It was then and there at that point that he heard a cry from the heavens. Later in life, Seiya would remember falling to the ground, blacking out, and spraining his wrist. And he would remember opening his eyes only to look into a pair of curious teal orbs on the pale face of a young blonde who wore a pretty white dress torn at the hem, the after-noon sun hovering just behind her. _

_He came to the conclusion that she was the angel his mother had promised him. Her name was Haruka. And he knew then and there, that he'd never love anyone else. _

* * *

She was his angel, he was her prince. She promised to keep him safe and he promised to love her. But she hurt him when she was in pain and began to hate her for not loving him. They were each other's heaven. Their soulmate. 

If only they'd catch each other.

* * *

**chickay**: i know this is probably isn't my best chapter and it's been a really really _really really_ :**three hours later:** _really really **really**_long time since I actually promised to update. but strangely enough, despite the fact that i've been looking forward to writing this last scene here (which i wrote about two weeks into the beginning of MAMC), this was the toughest chapter to write for me. probably because there's one hell of a story that quite personal and it was just strange to call back everything. however, if you're reading this, please don't lose hope. i promise to write…or at least finish this story before high school ends. 


	23. AN note

This is the same as new message in CL:

Okay then…as horribly immature as this is going to sound to everyone reading, here it goes.

I'm currently in college now. This April will mark the one year's passage since I have accomplished anything on Believe me when I say that this was not something I wanted to do. Reading emails and replies about my work has really depressed me as of late at how bad I've been about updating. You will find it surprising but I do have chapters laid out or at least part of all of them and all I really need to do is fix and finish them and post them for the world to see. I know someone is reading this and this is my small egocentric call for attention because, while I will finish these stories soon, I want to here from you, my reader, that there is something here that you want me to finish. So, let me know. Tell me you want an ending and it'll probably spur my creative juices to start flowing again.

-chickay


	24. Collisions

**Meus Amor et Mea Culpa**

Collisions

* * *

Normal – Present 

_Italics – Flashbacks_

**Bold – Present time elsewhere  
**

* * *

"…I wasn't at the beach this past summer." Amy's words were spoken into the silent room, arousing her friends to look up. Lita had her head propped on the brain's lap and her brown-red curls turned so that she could look up at Amy with a questioning glance. Amy offered her and the others a half-hearted smile before settling her eyes on Rei, who was the only person in the room not to look surprised. "Although, I'm sure _you_ already knew about it." 

All heads in the room swung in Rei's direction. The priestess-in-training merely shrugged. "It pays to have a jerk of a father in high places."

That comment earned her a soft smack on her thigh from Mina before the blonde looked over at Amy again. "Amy, what're you talking about?"

They were at Mina's house now after Rei announced that Lita was driving herself deeper into depression over Nicholas Anza's pending wedding ceremony. The girls were gathered in Mina's living room, cakes and sweet treats made by Lita during her dejected period; she had a tendency to bake during moments of sadness. Now, Amy stroked the brunette's hair soothingly, something her mother did when Amy was younger.

"Last summer," Amy began once more. "I wasn't at a relative's house by the beach."

There was another pause in which everyone except Rei looked at her inquiringly. Serena broke the silence.

"Then…where were you?"

A slow, quiet smile crept onto Amy's face. "It was a treatment center in Louisiana for…" Here, Amy's voice faltered and her eyes seemed to glaze over in thought.

"…the unstable." Rei finished when Amy's pause didn't seem to end. Amy glanced up at Rei at that moment but chose not to say anything. Rei tucked a lock behind her hair and continued, looking off in a distance back to what her informant had told her. "It was more of a rehabilitation center that specifically targeted teenagers and their drug and alcoholic habits."

Mina cocked her head to one side. "So you were interning there the whole time?" She broke out a mild half-smile. "Doesn't seem like something you'd need a big secret for."

Amy didn't answer as her eyes remained seated on Rei, who said nothing as if waiting for Amy to fill in the blanks. However, Lita saved her the trouble.

"No," She said softly, reaching up from her place in Amy's lap and touching Amy's cheek lightly. "It wasn't your big secret."

"No." Amy smiled sadly with a far-off look for a moment before nodding. "It's Zach's."

* * *

The following day…

"You told them." Amy glanced up at her friend, love interest, pseudo boyfriend, _whatever _and nodded, feeling only a tinge of shame at not letting Zach know before she said anything to the girls first.

"…I didn't like lying to them." She said truthfully after a while, turning her attention now to the dandelions by her bare feet. A breeze wafted over to her face and she sighed as she looked over the lake that stood before them, its water slowly turning dark as they reflected the gloomy clouds that began to hover. Ever since her confession to her best friends, she had felt as though a weight, a weight that had been on her chest since she left the treatment center, was finally lifted. She snuck a glance back at Zach and saw, as she expected, that he was avoiding her gaze. She bit her bottom lip, an arm reaching out to him. "Zach? I-"

It was when he slapped her hand away from him like an annoying fly that Amy's suspicions were confirmed: He was mad.

"Zach," Her face was pained. "Please don't be upset. I just-"

"'Don't be upset?'" Zach shot at her incredulously. "How the hell do you expect me not be upset?"

"It's fine." Amy insisted, tugging at his arm. "Your secret's safe with the girls, I swear."

"No, Amy." The way he said her name almost made her cry. "It was supposed to be safe with you, like you promised remember?"

Her eyes flashed hard for a moment. "You promised to stay away from me and you didn't keep that one, did you?"

Zach gave her a look of confusion and disbelief. "Are you seriously comparing you dropping my problems to your little friends to me wanting to be with you?"

"You didn't want me." Amy scoffed, suddenly remembering their last meeting at the center and the heated anger she felt against him. She stopped being sweet and a bitter streak began coursing through her veins. "You were just looking for a hookup."

Zach opened his mouth to argue against her but the defiant look in her eyes stopped him and he shut his mouth. Of course she was right; she was Amy, she was always right. But, "You know damn well that that changed over time."

A clap of thunder roared in the distance that was not heard by either teen, whose ears could only hear the pounding of their blood. Amy rolled her eyes, all feelings of shame or apologetic words she had drained from her mind. "Whatever, Zachary."

Zach felt a sting in his chest at hearing her say his first name in such an informal matter, like they weren't close, or even friends…just like their encounter…

**

* * *

**

Over the summer...

_"What's her name?" Amy whispered softly, looking at the pale, sedated girl sleeping on the bed._

_"Emma." Dr. Grant Chase replied. "Her family checked her in a few weeks ago."_

_As Dr. Chase continued on with the girl's description, Amy assessed the frail form before her. Emma's hair, at one point, must've been a radiant blonde color. However, years of over-training and swimming in chlorinated pools had managed to take their toll on her abundance of hair, tinting the otherwise fair-haired strands into a pale green hue. Amy titled her head to one side, absently deciding that this child's bone-structure reminded her of someone…_

_"…she was found floating in her family pool by a servant." Dr. Grant was saying. His bright eyes and quirky lips were buried beneath bushy white facial hair, while his head seemed to shine in all its baldness. This was the man who had watched over her mother during her beginning years as a doctor and was now allowing Amy to shadow him at the clinic. "She had apparently taken an incredible dose of sleeping pills before walking into the water. It was a miracle enough that she was even alive when she was found."_

_"It was intentional, then." Amy said plainly. Dr. Grant nodded grimly._

_"The girl is depressed." He said. "Apparently, she had had a tiff with a boy she was seeing. He had cheated on her or some issue like it and well…" Dr. Grant waved a hand towards the bed._

_Amy shook her head sadly. "Weren't her parents home?" She asked._

_"Father was at a business meeting." Dr. Grant said, shaking his head slightly. "Mother has been gone for quite some time already."_

_Amy shivered involuntarily. "Poor girl."_

_"Not really." Amy turned and found an imperceptible smile on Dr. Grant's face. He caught her look and the grin widened softly. "Her father may find it hard to look on his own child, but her brother…" Dr. Grant's voice trailed off, shaking his in what Amy could only see as admiration._

_Suddenly, Dr. Grant's eyes lifted off her to just beyond her shoulder, a beaming expression on his face. "Speak of the devil! Mister Monroe!" He exclaimed approvingly. "How are we doing today?"_

_As he swept by, Dr. Grant didn't take a moment to notice how Amy's body tensed up immediately at the mere name that triggered a part in her brain. She slowly turned around and felt a huge lump in her throat as she recognized, without a shadow of a doubt, the infamous Zachary Monroe, the local heartthrob of her school…in California…on the other side of the country. _

_The very vision of Zachary brought back memories of Mina and Beryl's twisted friendship and Amy was realizing how awkward of a position she was suddenly in. To make matters worse, Dr. Grant decided to move aside and when Amy caught Zachary's eye she knew that he, too, recognized her without a shadow of a doubt._

_…talk about awkward. And, of course, Dr. Grant just had to keep on going._

_"…And this is Miss Amy Mizuno," He was saying, oblivious to the sudden tension that froze the air around them. Zachary's green eyes narrowed at her name and a flicker of something crossed his expression that Amy didn't know how to describe although the term 'hatred' flashed through her mind. In normal circumstances, Amy would've felt the need to make out a small whimper and doge to a corner somewhere. But as the instinct in her arose to do just that, flashing images of Mina being carried in Lita's strong arms, Rei's coat hastily covering Mina's mostly-bare body as Ace made a futile effort to get to his feet, throwing up on the clean carpet of the room of someone's house after Lita gave him the worst whooping of his life._

_Indignant rage for one of her dearest friends against people like Beryl, the bitch who drugged Mina, and Ace, the jerk who willingly took advantage of Mina, welled up inside Amy and directed itself against the blonde man in the room who eyed her with suspicion. Zachary opened his mouth to say something towards her when Dr. Grant wasn't paying attention, but when he saw Amy's eyes flicker into an icy cobalt, Zachary decided that whatever he had to say…could wait._

_

* * *

"…And I don't want some nitwit, miss goody-two-shoes running her fucking mouth to the world about my family's business. You got that?!" _

_The slap stung a lot worse than Zachary expected it to, coming from someone as damn small and meek-looking as the resident brain of his high school. He looked in front of him and saw Amy rubbing her reddened wrist with the same hand she had used to slap him. Zachary hadn't meant to be volatile in any way shape or form when he approached her outside of the clinic and confronted her about his sister and he grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving when it seemed like she didn't want to listen to him._

_"Listen you," Amy hissed, an accusing finger aimed at him. "I have given my word of confidentiality to this clinic and the last thing I need is someone like you coming around and challenging that. My concern here has nothing to do with your precious reputation but rather your sister. If you have a problem with that and your preoccupation is focused on what your little friends back home will say if they find out about your sister and her state, then…" Amy let the possibility hang in the air for a while before she realized just how much the idea repulsed her. The words that came out of her lips were like acid, "Then you truly are as much of a bastard as Beryl and Ace are."_

_In retrospect, comparing Zachary's insistent for secrecy and the border-line rape Mina almost went through wasn't exactly fair. But as far as Amy was concerned, they were all the same: snobby, selfish, and cruel people who got their kicks from hurting everyone else around them so they could feel better about themselves._

_Obviously Zachary felt the same because his frustration sky-rocketed to indignation. "Don't you dare compare me to those two!" He practically boomed. "And don't you dare question my intentions when it comes to Emma. I love my sister." He said, touching his chest with his hand to convey how close he felt to her. "All I'm thinking about now is how, when she gets better she's going to go home and the last thing I need for her to have to go through is idiotic people gossiping about her condition and talking shit behind her back. I've had enough of that happening to me but at least I can handle it. Em? Not so much. So," He gestured to her hand and nodded incoherently. He took a deep, calming breath before saying, in a manner much calmer than it was seconds ago, "I apologize for hurting you in any way but all I need to know now is your reassurance that Emma's business won't be released to the public."_

_Any biting words Amy had against him dissipated on her tongue as Zach raised his head to her, bombarding her with the most earnest, honest, and defeated expression she ever thought a person could wear. _

_Looking back at that interaction, Amy would later realize that it was that one look that drew her to Zachary…and it would be that one look that haunted her throughout that one summer…

* * *

_

**"Crappy night?" Zach swiveled his head and squinted to find Jaden swaggering over to the bar. Zach then turned back to his drink, idly wondering how the level went down so quickly.**

**"You could say something like that."**

**Jaden nodded sagely before slopping down on the seat next to him. It didn't bother the Aino heir to ponder how Zachary was able to acquire said alcoholic beverage without being the legal age. Then again...**

**Jaden's eyes roamed over Zachary's form now: depressed head, lying atop the wet arm coats of his jacket, half of his face buried, green eyes gazing beyond the empty glass that sat before his equally empty eyes him...staring beyond his reach, searching for something...or someone that he knew he wouldn't see there.**

**Seeing Zach's state, he couldn't help the smirk. "I'd say I feel sorry for you," Jaden said, ordering a drink of his own with his legal license. "But I need to reserve my pity for myself.**

**"Be grateful." Zach's head turned towards Jaden's, which faced forward at the amazing array of spirits and ethanol-containing beverages, his mind wondering how he can consume them all while continuing his conversation with Zach. He looked at the shot placed in front of him and smiled into it, hands curling around the cool glass. "You heard me, Zach." He said, lifting it to the light and watching as the rays shone through, highlighting his features with a watery hazel. "Be grateful."**

**"……" Zach couldn't think of anything intelligent to say so he settled for snorting. "Sorry, buddy." He said unapologetically. "But there isn't much for me to be grateful for…"**

**

* * *

**

_"I had to Zach!" Amy protested, getting angrier as she tried to explain herself for the fifth time. "I love them! It was killing me to keep a secret from them!" _

_"Yeah well what about me, damnit?" Zach demanded, turning his angry gaze on to her. "What about keeping a secret for someone you loved?"_

_In the silence that followed his words, Zachary Monroe began to realize that he had said the very wrong thing. When she lifted her head so that he could see the icy glaze that covered the surface of her blue eyes, hurting tears swirling beneath their surface, he felt like dying._

_"…You know damn well the difference between you and them." She whispered harshly, her voice straining. "I love you and them yet-"_

_"I know. I know-" He began, trying to make it stop._

_"I have yet to hear you say the same to me." She continued as though never once hearing him. "And I continue to love you even though you can't even acknowledge me publicly. Even though you make me wait for you to tell your father about me and even though you refuse to be seen with me alone, I still love you." Amy prodded on, her anger and hurt cumulating by the second. "I love you Zachary, and I have loved you until and beyond it hurting me."_

_She raised herself to her feet quickly in one motion, and Zach watched her frame be highlighted for a split second by the flash of lightning in the skies behind her. He thought he had never seen so much hate in the eyes of another being as he did at that moment. Twin raindrops fell into his eyesight, blurring his vision as she declared through a sudden booming thunder,_

_"And I'm through hurting."_

_He watched her walk away, bare feet slapping wet ground as the cold rain fell against her cheeks where her tears refused to fall._

**

* * *

"She loves you."**

**Zach looked back over at Jaden, now on his fifth shot. The older man made a toasting motion before throwing his head back, wincing at the burning in his throat.**

**"It doesn't matter what dumb, asinine, idiotic shit you said or did to her," He said wisely, a slur creeping into his speech. "Because no matter what, she still loves you." A wave of his hand and the bartender was back to pour more into his shot glass again, smiling as he felt Zach's curious eyes on him. "I don't have to know what's going on between you two," Jaden said, motioning for the bartender to pour more into his glass. "All I need to know is you, your dad, Emma, and Amy, to know that you did something really stupid for your underage ass to be sitting in this stool next to." He smiled as his hand curled around the newly-filled glass as he paused his speech. "You see, even if you're here brooding, she still loves your dumb self while she cries on my sister's shoulders. No matter how badly you screw up," He downed the drink and stared at the ceiling of the bar, a pair of royal violet eyes staring down at him in his mind's eyes. He blinked, smiling sadly, whispering bitterly, "She'll still love you." He touched his stubble-clad cheek, thinking Kaidou probably shaved every day.  
**

**"Be.Fucking._Grateful_."**

**Jaden wondered, for the millionth time since he'd last since seen the beautiful Rei Hino, what she would say if she saw him at that very moment. He briefly wondered if she'd even give a damn. He figured she probably wouldn't in which case...  
**

**His hand felt too heavy to stop the bartender's arm from going away so he simply said,**

**"Leave the bottle."**

* * *

Elsewhere...

"Eavesdropper." Rei's eyebrow went up as Haruka didn't even look up from the book she held in her lap. The younger woman stood at the doorway of Haruka's room, and the blonde looked up at her with a small smirk that reminded Rei far too much of her twin brother. "It's not polite to listen to other people's conversations, Rei, did you know that?"

Her lips were curled at the edges but the dark rims around her reddened teal eyes told Rei a different story.

"You're in love with my brother," Rei remarked, adding, "Did you know that?"

The other woman simply chuckled in the same way Jaden did before saying, "You're in love with mine and everyone knows that."

Rei stiffened a bit and Haruka just shook her head. "Your brother and I had-"

"A one night stand."

"A fling." Haruka corrected because Rei's terminology bothered her. "It was a one time fling, but a fling nonetheless. That is it and nothing more."

"If that's the case, why were you that shaken up?"

"Ah," Haruka breathed mockingly. "An eavesdropper and a spy." She smiled good-naturedly. "Your father should use you to look into his opponents. Of course, I'm sure Kaidou will probably the best incentive for you."

Rei's eyes darkened like Haruka knew they would.

"That's not nice, Haruka." She said in a warning tone.

"Neither is turning down my brother for a lunkhead following your father's footprints." Haruka pointed out, calmly. "Do pray tell what a cute politic zombie has above my handsome brother that makes you think it's okay to hurt him?"

Rei swallowed, wondering whether to tackle the insult or the question first. "Don't call Kaidou that." She defended. "He's a good man-"

"Just like your daddy, then?" Hmm. Jaden was right. Rei's eyes actually did look like fire lived behind them. Haruka snorted, closing the book she held in her hand, and giving Rei a distasteful look. "Don't kid yourself, Rei." She said more softly. "You and I both know that Kaidou is supposed to be taking after your father anyway. Why go after that and reject my brother, your friend for ages?" She looked up at Rei pleadingly, genuinely confused only to find the girl's eyes looking elsewhere, somewhere else, some other time, long ago…

_

* * *

Mina ran in just in time to see Haruka collapsing onto the ground, Seiya barely catching her hysterical, exhausted form before the realization hit her as well. Mina's knees hit the floor as Haruka let out a blood-curdling scream and the younger sister had to clamp a hand over her own mouth to keep her cries in. Lita came up from behind her and embraced her, shushing her cries with soft words, all the while her eyes glittered with panic, unsure of how to comfort one of her dearest friends in the situation. _

_And Rei stood there. She watched the doctor's lips move and listened to Haruka's screams and Sei's attempts to protect her from her own anguish. When she felt her heart slowly die as she stood there, not knowing what was happening to him, to Jaden, that's when she started running._

_She slapped the doctor's shoulder as he tried to stop her from continuing down the hallway of the trauma center. She was breathing heavily now, her vision switching between the hallways of the hospital to the image of the handsome young man that had stolen her heart years ago and was about to leave the earth with it in tow. For probably the first time in her life, Rei Hino was truly, completely and utterly scared down to her very core._

_So she ran and ran until she almost ran past his window._

* * *

"Better a miniature, better-looking version of my cold father," Rei said shakily, old emotions she had locked away now brimming at her eyes. She blinked angrily as old images resurfaced once again. _

* * *

She was looking for the golden hair and tanned skin in every window…which is why when she looked upon the bloody mess in Room 578, she couldn't and wouldn't believe it to be him. His hair was still wet with blood, bruises adorned every inch of his broken and battered body. Bandages were everywhere, except his face, where glass shards are been previously removed from and left with stitches upon them. Her lungs ached for breath and her heart begged her to stop looking at the shell of the man she had fallen for yet failed forever to confess to. _

_Rei Hino fell to her knees by his bedside, crying his name until her brother picked up her shocked form and she watched the horrible image of Jaden's dead body getting smaller as her resolve to love another man, _any_ other man, became stronger…_

* * *

"…Than an idiot who would sooner get himself killed before taking into consideration everyone close to him that he could hurt!" Rei practically screamed, unable to believe those same memories and feelings she had rid herself of years ago were still living and breathing within her. Her chest ached, her eyes burned, and she felt like she had died all over again just by reliving her most traumatic memory ever.

* * *

A little beforehand...

**"Wha youse doin'?" Jaden slurred unsteadily, as Zach lifted him out of the bar.**

**"You're drunk." Zach grunted, squinting through the rain to find Jaden's car.**

**"No shiz." He hiccupped. "So're yo-u."**

**"Well, lucky for you," Zach said, "Between you berating me and crying about Rei, I've managed to sober up rather nicely in the last three hours." He fished out Jaden's keys from his pocket and opened the passenger side. "And since I can use words beyond the mono-syllabic, I think I'll be driving tonight." He grinned, shutting the car door with a slam…

* * *

**

"He hates the rain." Amy said quietly as Mina sat next to her by Mina's bedroom window. "His mother died when it rained. Emma tried drowning herself when it rained, too."

Mina and Lita exchanged looks before Mina reached out to Amy again, soothingly touching her pale arm.

"He wouldn't be out in weather like this…" Amy said musingly. "He hates it."

* * *

**"…Damn rain."**

**Jaden hiccupped and he tried looking at Zach through one eye. "You- you ain't gunna try drivin' are you?"**

**Zach laughed a little ironically. "You're drunk. I'm as sober as I can be. And your sisters will kill me if I leave you here."**

**Jaden waved him away. "Nyoh. Jes lemme stay right here…"**

**Zach shook his head, grunting as he lifted Jaden into an upright position and buckled his seatbelt for him. "Thanks but no thanks. I'll take my chances on the road."

* * *

**

"I've loved your brother the same way you've loved mine," Haruka said quietly after Rei's outburst. Her hand roamed over the book in her hand; a faded album of years gone by, every page a picture of how the Aino and Hino children grew up together. "Without any rhyme or reason beyond them being the only other souls to understand our own."

* * *

**The engine revved to life in Zach's hands as he pulled out of the bar and began the trek back to the Aino household.**

* * *

Mist formed where Amy's mouth spoke, "He used to say the only happy memories he'll ever have of the rain are of me."

* * *

**"Ken you ev'n drive schtick?" Zach shrugged at Jaden's drunken confusion.**

**"I'm sure I can manage it." Zach replied, looking at the controls and trying to remember the right way to drive this kind of car**

* * *

"I died when your brother nearly did, Haruka." Rei said, tears flowing freely now. "I won't take that risk again by falling for him again." She wiped angrily at her tears.

* * *

**Jaden's head hurt so much. The pouring rain made his stomach churn and Zach's driving felt very nauseating. It also didn't help at there seemed to be a blinding light staring him down-**

* * *

"Ames, you need to eat something." Lita said, 'tsk'-ing. "You look so pale." 

Amy shook her head. "I can't, Lita." She said softly. "I'm worried for him."

Mina smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure he's fine, Amy. You said it yourself, he hates the rain." Mina smiled wider as she gestured to the rainstorm outside that matched the mood of the blue-haired girl. "Surely he wouldn't be out in this weather."

* * *

**Zach was trying hard to figure out the controls when Jaden realized a little too late that the blinding light was getting bigger until-**

**"ZACH WATCH OUT!!!!!"**

* * *

"I can't love a man who's all too willing to die." Rei muttered angrily 

"A man doesn't die if there's something left to live for."

"Right." She rolled her eyes. "So what's your excuse for not loving Sei back?"

**

* * *

**

**Tires screeched as Zach made a sharp turn to avoid the incoming car. The other car slammed onto the rear part as Zach turned, ricocheting the car across the slippery road…**

**

* * *

**

"I want to call him." Amy was stopped by Lita reaching out to her.

"You've called enough times for today." She said placating, referring to the four phone calls Amy placed to Zach earlier. "I think he'll call back when he's ready to."

* * *

**The wheel was out of his control, no matter how hard Zach tried to steer it back the right way. Panic seized every part of his body and stiffened his every limb until the impact finally came…

* * *

**

"Maybe so…" Amy gave in, only slightly disbelieving.

**

* * *

Rei's face flashed before Jaden's eyes right before he saw the tree trunk and realized they were going to hit it. She was beautiful, dressed in her red gown the last night he had seen her, eyes defiant and desperate as she told him, again, "He loves me." **

**_'Sure.'_ Jaden Aino smiled in the split second it took to hit the huge tree, _'But I loved you first.'_**

**The airbag slammed against Zach's cheek violently, turning his eyes to the driver side window that was slowly shattering in his vision, shards falling away to reveal the falling rain…and a mirage of a pair of pretty blue eyes and a sweet pink smile that never stopped loving him. And Zachary Monroe thought if he had to go, she'd be the sweetest image he could take with him before his world faded to black.**

* * *

Haruka opened her mouth to reply to Rei when they heard the loud, distinct and solitary ringing of the phone inside the Aino home...

* * *

**chickay: ...Yeeeeeaaaaaaaaah. About this chapter. This is the result of the impact of multiple encouraging and heart-warming replies I got to my author's appeal and my way of saying 'Thank you' to everyone still out there. You have no idea how wonderful it is to know I'm not alone in slacking off and feeling about it all. I apologize for this chapter's choppiness; I tried to make it all scene-by-scene deal going back and forth between the girls and guys and I don't know how well it worked out for the readers worked fine for me since I know where I'm going with this story. In addition, the morbidness wasn't really intended but more of a result of dsiagreements between myself and my significant other. Go figure: apparently, fights are the best muses a girl can have.**

**REVIEW!!**


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